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Revealing the Prevalence and Consequences of Food Insecurity in Children with Epilepsy.
- Source :
- Journal of Community Health; Dec2017, Vol. 42 Issue 6, p1213-1219, 7p
- Publication Year :
- 2017
-
Abstract
- Food insecurity (FI) affects more than one in five American children and is increasingly addressed during pediatric primary care. Its relevance during subspecialty care, including in the treatment of chronic conditions like epilepsy, is largely unknown. This study sought to determine the FI prevalence among children with epilepsy and examine the relationship between FI and healthcare utilization, health-related quality-of-life (HR-QOL), and medication side effect control. This was a retrospective cohort study using electronic health record data from children, aged 2-17 years, seen for epilepsy management at an academic pediatric hospital. The primary predictor was household FI status, determined using a validated screening tool employed in the hospital's pediatric neurology clinics. The primary outcome was unplanned healthcare utilization in the 6 months following initial FI screen. Secondary outcomes were standardized, validated assessments of HR-QOL and epilepsy medication side effects. Nearly 14% of the 691 children seen in the clinics for epilepsy lived in food insecure households. The impact of FI on healthcare utilization varied by race. For Caucasians, healthcare utilization rates were significantly higher among food insecure individuals than food secure individuals (37 vs. 17%, p = 0.003). Among African Americans, healthcare utilization rates did not vary with food security status (p = 0.6). Children in food insecure households had lower HR-QOL (p < 0.0001) and higher medication side effects (p = 0.0005). FI is common among children with epilepsy and may influence adverse health outcomes. Further exploration into how FI and other social determinants influence management of and determine outcomes for chronic diseases is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- QUALITY of life
AGE distribution
ANTICONVULSANTS
CHI-squared test
CONFIDENCE intervals
CHILDHOOD epilepsy
HEALTH insurance
LONGITUDINAL method
MEDICAL care use
QUESTIONNAIRES
RACE
STATISTICAL sampling
SCALE analysis (Psychology)
STATISTICS
LOGISTIC regression analysis
RETROSPECTIVE studies
FOOD security
ELECTRONIC health records
DESCRIPTIVE statistics
ODDS ratio
CHILDREN
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 00945145
- Volume :
- 42
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Community Health
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 125872770
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-017-0372-1