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835: IDENTIFYING THE BURDEN OF FOOD INSECURITY IN FAMILIES WITH CRITICALLY ILL CHILDREN

Introduction/Hypothesis: Food insecurity, defined as lack of reliable access to sufficient food, is common, occurring in 15.7% of households with children in the US in 2017. Disparities in food security affect developmental, biological, behavioral and social health in children and adolescents. Data on the frequency and impact of food insecurity is lacking in critical care. Thus, this project sought to identify the prevalence of food insecurity among families with children admitted to the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) at the UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and pilot an intervention to support food insecure families through application of an internal grant through the hospital’s Food Security Task Force. Methods: The validated 2-question Hunger Vital Signs was administered in person by a PICU social worker to a convenience sample of PICU families admitted between April 1, 2019 and June 30, 2019. Positive screens were documented if either question was affirmative for food insecurity. Families were also asked about current participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Demographic information was abstracted from the electronic health record. Families with positive screens were provided with gift cards ($5-20) to supermarkets and linked with extant federally funded programs when available. Results: A total of 137 families were screened across 140 admissions (3 families were screened twice during study period due to readmission). Twenty-seven (19.7%) of the families in this cohort screened positive for food insecurity. Twenty-nine (21.2%) of families participated in SNAP, including fourteen (10%) families who did not indicate current food insecurity. Conclusions: The prevalence of food insecurity was higher in families with a critically ill child admitted to our center than the general US population. Given that food insecurity has been demonstrated to affect a wide variety of health measures, the impact of food insecurity on child and family health and the hospital’s role in addressing food insecurity merits further investigation.