| Popis: |
RESEARCH OBJECTIVE: Evidence suggests that clinic‐based food referral programs (FRP) offer health benefits to food insecure patients, yet little attention has been paid to understanding patient utilization of such programs. Our study addresses this gap by reporting on the patient characteristics associated with uptake and utilization of a FRP—the Mid‐Ohio Farmacy (MOF). The MOF is a partnership between a Midwestern regional foodbank and local healthcare providers, including a large, academic medical center (AMC). The MOF uses a variation on food vouchers: an electronic referral from a patient's primary care provider to one of 14 partner food pantries in the metropolitan area. Referred patients who visit a participating pantry are eligible to receive fresh produce once weekly. STUDY DESIGN: This observational study leverages data from two AMC family medicine clinics offering the MOF referral from September 2019 to November 2020. Using multivariable logistic regression, we examined the association between filling a MOF referral (i.e., pantry visitor vs. non‐visitor) and patient demographic and clinical characteristics. Patients and their pantry visits were characterized based on their pre‐referral utilization (i.e., new or existing patrons; pre‐ or post‐referral pantry visit) to assess patterns of pantry utilization. POPULATION STUDIED: AMC patients 18 years or older who screened positive for food insecurity and had an eligible chronic condition. Eligible conditions included a diagnosis of diabetes with hemoglobin A1c (HbA1C) >9%, obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m(2)), or hypertension; uncontrolled diabetes defined as a HbA1C > 9% with or without a diabetes diagnosis; or uncontrolled hypertension defined as blood pressure > 140/90 with a hypertension diagnosis. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: In total, 51% (164/322) of patients who received a MOF referral visited a pantry at least once during the study period. Three factors were associated with an increased likelihood of filling a MOF referral: a 1‐year increase in age (0.7%; p |
