Originally posted by the Journal of Applied Research on Children, a publication of the Children at Risk Institute. 

ABSTRACT

Objective: To test whether household food insecurity (HFI) was associated with total annual hospitalization charges, annual days hospitalized, and charges per day, among low-income infants (months) with any non-neonatal hospital stays.

Methods: Administrative inpatient hospital charge data were matched to survey data from infants’ caregivers interviewed 1998-2005 in emergency departments in Boston and Little Rock. All study infants had been hospitalized at least once since birth; infants whose diagnoses were not plausibly related to nutrition were excluded from both groups. Log-transformed hospitalization charges were analyzed, controlling for site fixed effects.

Results: 24% of infants from food-insecure households and 16% from food-secure households were hospitalized >2 times (P=0.02). Mean annual inpatient hospital charges ($6,707 vs $5,735; P

Conclusion: HFI was positively associated with annual inpatient charges among hospitalized low income infants. Average annual inpatient charges were almost $2,000 higher (inflation adjusted) for infants living in food-insecure households. Reducing or eliminating food insecurity could reduce health services utilization and expenditures for infants in low-income families, most of whom are covered by public health insurance.

• Household food insecurity was positively associated with annual inpatient charges among hospitalized low-income infants.
• Average annual inpatient charges were almost $2,000 higher (inflation adjusted) for infants living in food-insecure households.
• Reducing or eliminating food insecurity could reduce health services utilization and expenditures for infants in low-income families, most of whom are covered by public health insurance.

We would like to thank James M. Robbins, Mick Tilford, Jennifer Cano, Danielle Appugliese, Marya Pulaski, and the Children’s HealthWatch research group for their invaluable assistance on this work. We would also like to thank all the families who participated in the study.