Food for Thought: Food Insecurity Screening in the Emergency Department

NCT03656146 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 17-013696
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 1,818
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

This study compares food insecurity disclosure rates in face-to-face interviews versus electronic formats, and explores caregiver preferences regarding screening modality and location, in a large, urban pediatric emergency department. Half of the participants were screened for food insecurity verbally, face-to-face by a research assistant, and half of the participants were screened electronically by a tablet.

Conditions

Hunger; Child Nutrition Disorders

Keywords

social determinants of health; food insecurity; screening; pediatrics

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Presence of Food Insecurity

  Affirmative response to either of the two, validated screening questions for food insecurity. Investigators measured food insecurity using the validated two-question "Hunger Vital Sign" screening tool, with yes/no responses. These two questions are: within the past 12 months "we worried whether our food would run out before we got money to buy more" and "the food we bought just didn't last and we didn't have money to get more."

  12 months

Secondary Outcomes (2)

• Preferred Screening Modality

  4 weeks

• Comfort level with screening location

  4 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Tablet Screening

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Food insecurity screening conducted via electronic tablet

Other: Food Insecurity Screening Tablet

Verbal Screening

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Food insecurity screening conducted via verbal face-to-face interview

Other: Food Insecurity Screening Verbal

Interventions

Food Insecurity Screening Tablet OTHER

The intervention is the type of screening modality used to identify food insecurity: verbal face-to-face, or tablet-based screening

Tablet Screening

Food Insecurity Screening Verbal OTHER

The intervention is the type of screening modality used to identify food insecurity: verbal face-to-face, or tablet-based screening

Verbal Screening

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• English speaking
• Adult caregiver accompanying pediatric patient in the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) emergency department

You may not qualify if:

• Patient (child) in critical condition
• Patient (child) \>18 years of age
• Previously enrolled in study

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: lead
• University of Pennsylvania: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Child Nutrition Disorders

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SCREENING
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: August 28, 2018
• First Posted: September 4, 2018
• Study Start: May 15, 2017
• Primary Completion: November 28, 2017
• Study Completion: January 18, 2018
• Last Updated: March 16, 2023

Record last verified: 2023-03

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)