Accepted for/Published in: JMIR Formative Research
Date Submitted: Jul 25, 2022
Date Accepted: Sep 22, 2022
Warning: This is an author submission that is not peer-reviewed or edited. Preprints - unless they show as "accepted" - should not be relied on to guide clinical practice or health-related behavior and should not be reported in news media as established information.
Changes in food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic among individuals using a telehealth and nutrition platform
ABSTRACT
Background:
Food Insecurity is a complex public health problem affecting many individuals in the United States. Digital health interventions that promote behavior change and provide access to affordable and healthy food may help to alleviate food insecurity.
Objective:
The aim of this study was to characterize users of Foodsmart, a telehealth and nutrition platform, with food insecurity and to evaluate changes in diet and food insecurity.
Methods:
We retrospectively analyzed data collected from 4,595 adults who used Foodsmart between February-October 2021. Participants self-reported their diet, demographics, biometrics, and food insecurity status. We examined baseline characteristics of participants by food insecurity status, associations between characteristics and baseline food insecurity, and changes in diet quality and food insecurity status.
Results:
We found that 16% of participants were food insecure at baseline. Among participants who were food insecure at baseline, 61% improved their nutrition and 29% responded that they were food secure at follow-up, with an increasing percentage achieving food security with longer enrollment time.
Conclusions:
Telehealth and nutrition platforms may help users improve household food security.
Citation
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