Food Pantry Referral and Utilization in a Pediatric Primary Care Clinic

Introduction: This study aimed to characterize progression from screening for food insecurity risk to on -site food pantry referral to food pantry utilization in pediatric primary care. Methods: This retrospective study included 14,280 patients aged 0-21 years with >= 1 pediatric primary care visit from March 2018 to February 2020. Analyses were conducted in 2020-2022 using multivariable regression to examine patient -level demographic, clinical, and socioeconomic characteristics and systems -related factors associated with progression from screening positive for food insecurity risk to food pantry referral to completing >= 1 food pantry visit. Results: Of patients screened for food insecurity risk, 31.9% screened positive; 18.5% of food -insecure patients received an on -site food pantry referral. Among patients referred, 28.9% visited the food pantry. In multivariable models, higher odds of referral were found for patients living near the clinic (AOR=1.28; 95% CI=1.03, 1.59), for each additional health -related social need reported (AOR=1.23; 95% CI=1.16, 1.29), and when the index clinic encounter occurred during food pantry open hours (AOR=1.62; 95% CI=1.30, 2.02). Higher odds of food pantry visitation were found for patients with a preferred language of Haitian Creole (AOR=2.16; 95% CI=1.37, 3.39), for patients of Hispanic race/ethnicity (AOR=3.67; 95% CI=1.14, 11.78), when the index encounter occurred during food pantry open hours (AOR=1.96; 95% CI=1.25, 3.07), for patients with a clinician letter referral (AOR=6.74; 95% CI=3.94, 11.54), or for patients with a referral due to a screening-identified food emergency (AOR=2.27; 95% CI=1.30, 3.96). Conclusions: There was substantial attrition along the pathway from screening positive for food insecurity risk to food pantry referral and utilization as well as patient -level characteristics and systems -related factors associated with successful referrals and utilization. Am J Prev Med 2024;66(3):444-453. (c) 2023 American Journal of Preventive Medicine. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.