TOP 49 - Food Insecurity in Hospitalized Children: Evaluating Length of Stay as a Contributing Factor

Publication Number: 3778.TOP 49

Morgan Cantor, Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, AR, United States; Katherine Tang, Arkansas Children's Hospital, Little Rock, AR, United States; Rebecca Cantu, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine, Little Rock, AR, United States; Bailey Bean, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences College of Medicine, Little Rock, AR, United States

Background: The USDA reports that 18% of households with children reported food insecurity in 2023. Previous studies have found that food insecurity is associated with poorer health outcomes, both acute and chronic, and decreased access to care, among other things. A 2024 study revealed 40% of parents with a hospitalized child reported experiencing food insecurity during admission, despite not having household food insecurity on a typical day. While food insecurity is a known risk factor for prolonged and repeated hospitalizations, little is known about how the length of stay relates to perceived food insecurity. If a lengthy hospitalization is in turn a risk factor for food insecurity, this information may help create strategies to target the cycle of hospitalization driven food insecurity and improve outcomes.

Objective: Evaluate the association between length of stay with the onset of food insecurity for caregivers of hospitalized children.

Design/Methods: We conducted a prospective observational cohort study on a convenience sample of caregivers of patients admitted to the pediatric hospital medicine service from July to August 2025. A three-question survey assessing household food insecurity was administered daily to consenting caregivers. Patient demographics and length of stay were extracted from the electronic health record. This study was approved by the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences Institutional Review Board. As of submission date, the data has been collected and is now undergoing analysis. Preliminary results were obtained with Chi-Square analyses. Further evaluation will be conducted using multi-variate logistic regression and time to event analysis. We anticipate complete results by February 2026.