Addressing food insecurity among US surgical patients

Food insecurity (FI), or consistent lack of access to nutritious food, is increasing in the US: in 2023, 18 million US households experienced FI. However, our knowledge of its epidemiology among surgical patients remains limited. In “Food Insecurity in US Surgical Patients: Findings from the National Health Interview Survey,” Jones et al fill this gap using 7 years of National Health Interview Survey data. This is the first study to characterize and compare the prevalence of FI between US surgical and nonsurgical patients. It finds that surgical patients were significantly more likely to report FI, even after adjusting for demographic factors, such as race, insurance, family size, employment status, and educational attainment. Their findings also point to potential underutilization of the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits among surgical patients.