The Journal of Emergency Medicine
Volume 38, Issue 4 , Pages 524-528 , May 2010

Food Security, Health, and Medication Expenditures of Emergency Department Patients

  • Ashley F. Sullivan, MPH, MS

      Affiliations

    • Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
    • Corresponding Author InformationCorresponding Address: Ashley F. Sullivan, ms, mph, EMNet Coordinating Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, 326 Cambridge Street, Suite 410, Boston, MA 02114
    • ,
  • Sunday Clark, SCD

      Affiliations

    • Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
    • ,
  • Daniel J. Pallin, MD, MPH

      Affiliations

    • Department of Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
    • ,
  • Carlos A. Camargo Jr., MD, DrPH

      Affiliations

    • Department of Emergency Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts

Received 16 July 2008 ,Revised 24 October 2008 ,Accepted 26 November 2008.

References 

  1. Nord M, Andrews M, Carlson S. Household food security in the United States, 2006 (Report No.: ERR-49). Washington, DC: United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service; 2007;
  2. Brown JL, Shepard D, Martin T, Orwat J. The economic cost of domestic hunger. Gaithersburg, MD: Sodexho Foundation; 2007;
  3. Cook JT, Frank DA, Levenson SM, et al. Child food insecurity increases risks posed by household food insecurity to young children's health. J Nutr. 2006;136:1073–1076
  4. Kersey MA, Beran MS, McGovern PG, Biros MH, Lurie N. The prevalence and effects of hunger in an emergency department patient population. Acad Emerg Med. 1999;6:1109–1114
  5. Bickel G, Nord M, Price C, Hamilton W, Cook JT. Guide to measuring household food security. Alexandria, VA: U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food and Nutrition Service; 2000;
  6. Vozoris NT, Tarasuk VS. Household food insufficiency is associated with poorer health. J Nutr. 2003;133:120–126
  7. Klesges LM, Pahor M, Shorr RI, Wan JY. Financial difficulty in acquiring food among elderly disabled women: results from the Women's Health and Aging Study. Am J Public Health. 2001;91:68–75
  8. Dietz WH. Does hunger cause obesity?. Pediatrics. 1995;95:766–767
  9. Olson CM. Nutrition and health outcomes associated with food insecurity and hunger. J Nutr. 1999;129(2S Suppl):521S–524S
  10. Adams EJ, Grummer-Strawn L, Chavez G. Food insecurity is associated with increased risk of obesity in California women. J Nutr. 2001;133:1070–1074
  11. Townsend MS, Peerson J, Love B, Achterberg C, Murphy SP. Food insecurity is positively related to overweight in women. J Nutr. 2001;131:1738–1745
  12. Rose D, Bodor JN. Household food insecurity and overweight status in young school children: results from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study. Pediatrics. 2006;117:464–473
  13. VanEenwyk J, Sabel J. Self-reported concern about food security associated with obesity—Washington, 1995–1999. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2003;52:840–842
  14. Gundersen C, Lohman BJ, Eisenmann JC, Garasky S, Stewart SD. Child-specific food insecurity and overweight are not associated in a sample of 10- to 15-year-old low-income youth. J Nutr. 2008;138:371–378
  15. Matheson DM, Varady J, Varady A, Killen JD. Household food security and nutritional status of Hispanic children in the fifth grade. Am J Clin Nutr. 2002;76:210–217
  16. Kaiser LL, Melgar-Quiñonez HR, Lamp CL, Johns MC, Sutherlin JM, Harwood JO. Food security and nutritional outcomes of preschool-age Mexican-American children. J Am Diet Assoc. 2002;102:924–929
  17. Hanson KL, Sobal J, Frongillo EA. Gender and marital status clarify associations between food insecurity and body weight. J Nutr. 2007;137:1460–1465
  18. Drewnowski A, Specter SE. Poverty and obesity: the role of energy density and energy costs. Am J Clin Nutr. 2004;79:6–16
  19. Morland K, Wing S, Diez Roux A, Poole C. Neighborhood characteristics associated with the location of food stores and food service places. Am J Prev Med. 2002;22:23–29
  20. Kleinman RE, Murphy JM, Wieneke KM, Desmond MS, Schiff A, Gapinski JA. Use of a single-question screening tool to detect hunger in families attending a neighborhood health center. Ambul Pediatr. 2007;7:278–284

 This work was supported by the Harvard Clinical Nutrition Research Center (P30-DK040561) (Boston, MA).

 Currently, Dr. Clark works in the Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

PII: S0736-4679(09)00012-2

doi: 10.1016/j.jemermed.2008.11.027

The Journal of Emergency Medicine
Volume 38, Issue 4 , Pages 524-528 , May 2010

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