P3.P318: Unveiling Disparities: Exploring the Intersection of Food Insecurity and Racism in Springfield, Illinois.

Background: Food insecurity, defined as the limited or uncertain access to adequate food, has a critical effect on a child's health and development. According to the AAP, 1 out of 7 children experience food insecurity in the United States. The aims of this project are to determine the prevalence of food insecurity in Springfield, IL, and identify racial distribution and influence of geographical location. We anticipated that Springfield’s population of children will show a disproportionate racial distribution of food insecurity and that geographical factors will have a significant effect on the presence or absence of food security.

Methods: To evaluate the presence of food insecurity, a multidisciplinary team in the SIU School of Medicine Pediatric Residency Clinic implemented the addition of Hunger Vital Signs (HVS) screening questions to routine social screenings of patients visiting the clinic. The HVSs consist of two closed answer questions that screen for food worry and food running out in a household. A positive answer to either question flags a household as at risk for food insecurity. The initial sample included 5,265 families. If any of the questions had a positive answer the patient was flagged as positive for food insecurity. These patients were then provided a brochure with lists of available community resources.

Results: Data analysis revealed a statistically significant difference in the presence of food insecurity between white and black participants, confirming food racism in the study participants. We report that 2.14% of the clinic’s participating white families reported “Often True” or “Sometimes True” to “Within the past 12 months we worried whether our food would run out before we got money to buy more,” while 4.58% of participating black families reported the same (p < 0.0001). Additionally, 1.72% of participating white families reported “Often True” or “Sometimes True” to “Within the past 12 months the food we bought just didn’t last and we didn’t have money to get more,” while 4.27% of participating black families reported the same (p < 0.0001).

Conclusion: This data confirms the presence of food insecurity in SIU SOM Pediatric Residency clinic’s patient population, and supports the presence of food racism in Springfield, IL, with black families screening positive food insecurity disproportionately more than others. To address this problem, our team continues to conduct screenings and provides brochures to educate families and connect them to local food resources at little or no cost. Simultaneously, we are working on establishing a food pantry to provide non-perishable foods on the day patients are identified. This study doesn't conclude with the recognition of inequality in one community. Given its correlation with disadvantaged cognitive, physical, and social development, food insecurity must be treated by pediatric providers as seriously as any other illness.