WIP 69 - Evaluating The Impact Of A Pediatric Clinic-Based Food Pantry: A Qualitative Study

Poster Number: WIP 69
Publication Number: WIP 69.988

Background: Food insecurity is a significant barrier to children’s health. In order to achieve health equity, medical providers must acknowledge and address social influencers of health, including food insecurity. As such, food safety net programs have been integrated into the medical care model through a variety of methods, including clinic and hospital-based food pantries, and show promise as a method to facilitate patients’ need for an emergency food source and foster trust in their primary care clinic. While clinic and hospital-based food safety net programs have been piloted in a variety of adult and pediatric healthcare settings, few studies have evaluated the impact of such programs in the pediatric care setting.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the impact of a pediatric primary care clinic-based food pantry program on food recipients’ attitudes and behaviors and to explore recipients’ recommendations for changes to the program to better meet their needs.

Design/Methods: This study was approved by the Lurie Children’s Institutional Review Board (IRB 2023-5889). Telephone interviews are currently being conducted with 20 English or Spanish-speaking caregivers who received food at least once from a pediatric primary care clinic-based food pantry. Participants are being recruited by convenience sampling. 12 interviews (8 English, 4 Spanish) have been conducted thus far. Interviews each last approximately 15 minutes and involve discussion of caregiver and household demographics, engagement with community food resources, overall experience visiting the food pantry, barriers and facilitators to using the pantry, and suggestions for program improvement. Interviews are being recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed for themes using a combined inductive-deductive approach. All interviews will be completed by December 2023 and will be coded and analyzed for themes by February 2024.