Presenting Author: Douglas Strane, MPH, PolicyLab, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

ABSTRACT

Background: Pediatric practices often provide food insecure families with information about local resources, but distance and transportation may be barriers for families to access these resources.

Objectives: Evaluate the association between food insecurity (FI) with transportation access and distance to local food pantries.

Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from 9 practices that screened families for FI. Results of the screen and families’ addresses were combined with census-tract data regarding vehicle access and public transportation use from the American Community Survey. We identified 258 food pantries in Philadelphia and surrounding counties and determined the distance between households and the nearest food pantry using ArcGIS. Multivariable models evaluated the association between FI and distance to the nearest food pantry, FI and vehicle access, and food pantry distance based on vehicle access.

Results: Of the 19,711 households, 1,535 screened positive for FI. The median distance between food insecure household and nearest food pantry was 0.44 miles (IQR: 0.01, 0.87). Food insecure households were more likely to be in neighborhoods with limited vehicle access (OR: 1.14, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.30), but there was no association between FI and public transportation use. Among food insecure households with limited vehicle access, 27% of families lived >1/2 a mile from the nearest food pantry.

Implications: Even in areas with many resources, transportation and distance may be barriers to accessing local food resources for many food insecure families. Health system data can be used in helping identify potential gaps in resources for families in need.

Authors: Douglas Strane, MPH; Deepak Palakshappa, MD, MSPH; Heather Griffis, PhD, MS; and Alexander G. Fiks, MD, MSCE.