Do Our Patients Have Enough to Eat?: Food Insecurity among Urban Low-income Cancer Patients

This study assessed the prevalence and predictors of food insecurity among a cohort of underserved oncology patients at New York City cancer clinics. A demographic survey and the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module were administered. A multivariate General Linear Model Analysis of Covariance...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of health care for the poor and underserved 2014-08, Vol.25 (3), p.1153-1168
Main Authors: Gany, Francesca, Lee, Trevor, Ramirez, Julia, Massie, Dana, Moran, Alyssa, Crist, Michael, McNish, Thelma, Winkel, Gary, Leng, Jennifer C.F
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Access
Cancer
Cancer therapies
Chronic illnesses
Clinics
Cohort Studies
Demographics
Diseases
Female
Food
Food Security
Food Supply - statistics & numerical data
Health care access
Health Care Services
Households
Humans
Hunger
Linear Analysis
Low Income Groups
Male
Medical service
Medically Underserved Area
Middle Aged
Money
Neoplasms - epidemiology
New York City
New York City, New York
New York, New York
Older people
Patients
Poverty
Spanish language
Studies
Surveys
Surveys and Questionnaires
United States
Urban Areas
Urban Population
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Summary:This study assessed the prevalence and predictors of food insecurity among a cohort of underserved oncology patients at New York City cancer clinics. A demographic survey and the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module were administered. A multivariate General Linear Model Analysis of Covariance was used to evaluate predictors of food insecurity. Four hundred and four (404) completed the surveys. Nearly one-fifth (18%) had very low, 38% low, 17% marginal, and 27% high food security. The Analysis of Covariance was statistically significant (F[7, 370] = 19.08; p < .0001; R-Square = 0.26). Younger age, Spanish language, poor health care access, and having less money for food since beginning cancer treatment were significantly associated with greater food insecurity. This cohort of underserved cancer patients had rates of food insecurity nearly five times those of the state average. More research is needed to understand better the causes and impact of food insecurity among cancer and chronic disease patients.
ISSN:1049-2089
1548-6869
1548-6869
DOI:10.1353/hpu.2014.0145