Food Insecurity, Quality of Life, Healthcare Utilization, and Clinical Disease Outcomes in AYA Patients with Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a chronic, debilitating condition that negatively impacts patient quality of life (QOL). In addition to causing frequent crises that lead patients to seek medical attention, it can also exacerbate socioeconomic inequities patients with SCD often already face. A specific subset of patients, adolescents and young adults (AYA), defined by the NCI as individuals ages 15-39, are particularly at risk, which can lead to worse outcomes and increased healthcare utilization (HCU). However, analyses on social determinants of health, QOL, HCU, and clinical disease outcomes (CDO) in SCD are limited, particularly among the AYA population. Our group seeks to investigate the impact of social determinants of health on patients with SCD. We have previously reported on food insecurity (FI), QOL, and HCU in children with SCD. This project aims to specifically study the interplay of these metrics further, while also incorporating CDO. Furthermore, we seek to understand these relationships in AYA patients and how they may be uniquely related in this population. We hypothesize that FI is associated with decreased QOL, increased HCU, and worse CDO. We also hypothesize that the magnitude of this association is greater in AYA patients.