Prevalence of Food Insecurity and Its Associated Factors Among Ambulatory Hand Patients in a Large Metropolitan Area

Purpose: Food insecurity (FI) is recognized as an important social determinant of health (SDH) that may disproportionately affect orthopedic patients. However, there are limited publications evaluating FI within the orthopedic hand population. The objective of this study is to evaluate the incidence of FI among hand clinic patients to identify key SDHs that may inform targeted interventions and improve clinical care for patients with hand pathologies. Methods: < .05 as significant. Results: DASH score, and Risk Analysis Index compared to those with marginal or high food security. These findings indicate that lower food security status is associated with worse mental health, frailty, and a higher level of disability. Conclusions: DASH scores between food-insecure and food-secure patients. FI is an untapped SDH thar may prove modifiable for an at-risk population. Type of study/level of evidence: Symptom Prevalence Study IV.