Kimberly Narain1, Bevanne Bean-Mayberry2, Donna L Washington2, Ismelda A Canelo3, Jill E Darling3, Elizabeth M Yano4. 1. Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; VA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation, and Policy, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California. Electronic address: Knarain@mednet.ucla.edu. 2. Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, Department of Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California; VA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation, and Policy, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California. 3. VA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation, and Policy, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California. 4. VA HSR&D Center for the Study of Healthcare Innovation, Implementation, and Policy, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Los Angeles, California; Department of Health Policy and Management, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Food insecurity has been associated with worse health outcomes in the civilian population. Male veterans of the Gulf Wars have been shown to have a higher prevalence of food insecurity than similarly situated civilians. Women veterans have more risk factors for food insecurity, relative to male veterans, yet little is known about the prevalence of food insecurity in this cohort. METHODS: We used the Women Veterans' Health Utilization and Experience Survey for this analysis. Our study population consisted of women veterans who had at least three primary care or women's health visits to 1 of 12 Veteran's Health Administration health care facilities from December 2013 to November 2014. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between food insufficiency (an inadequate amount of food intake owing to a lack of money or resources), delayed/missed care, anxiety, depression, and self-reported fair to poor health, controlling for race/ethnicity, marital status, and employment status. RESULTS: The prevalence of food insufficiency among women veterans was 27.6%. Being food insufficient was associated with 16.4, 15.4, 14.9, and 12.1 percentage point increases in the probability of delayed/missed care, screening positive for anxiety, screening positive for depression, and reporting fair to poor health, respectively (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of food insufficiency in this cohort was associated with delayed access to health care and worse health outcomes. Interventions addressing Veterans Administration access and health outcomes will need to examine the potential role of food insufficiency.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Food insecurity has been associated with worse health outcomes in the civilian population. Male veterans of the Gulf Wars have been shown to have a higher prevalence of food insecurity than similarly situated civilians. Women veterans have more risk factors for food insecurity, relative to male veterans, yet little is known about the prevalence of food insecurity in this cohort. METHODS: We used the Women Veterans' Health Utilization and Experience Survey for this analysis. Our study population consisted of women veterans who had at least three primary care or women's health visits to 1 of 12 Veteran's Health Administration health care facilities from December 2013 to November 2014. Multiple logistic regression was used to examine the relationship between food insufficiency (an inadequate amount of food intake owing to a lack of money or resources), delayed/missed care, anxiety, depression, and self-reported fair to poor health, controlling for race/ethnicity, marital status, and employment status. RESULTS: The prevalence of food insufficiency among women veterans was 27.6%. Being food insufficient was associated with 16.4, 15.4, 14.9, and 12.1 percentage point increases in the probability of delayed/missed care, screening positive for anxiety, screening positive for depression, and reporting fair to poor health, respectively (p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of food insufficiency in this cohort was associated with delayed access to health care and worse health outcomes. Interventions addressing Veterans Administration access and health outcomes will need to examine the potential role of food insufficiency.
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