As levels of food insecurity increase, people use more healthcare services and incur higher healthcare costs, according to recent research published on the Canadian Medical Association Journal's website.
The University of Toronto defines food insecurity as the struggle to afford food. Low income is a key part of the problem, but other factors, including housing affordability, affect food security as well.
The research was led by Valerie Tarasuk, PhD, a professor in the University of Toronto's Department of Nutritional Sciences, and included researchers from the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, the Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences and the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign.
The team of researchers examined patient data for more than 67,000 adults in Ontario who had participated in the Canadian Community Health Survey between 2005 and 2010. The team then compared each individual's data to their direct healthcare costs over a one-year period. Factors included in the direct costs included emergency department visits, acute and psychiatric hospital stays, physician visits, day surgeries, home care and the cost of prescription drugs.
Ultimately, the research revealed a strong link between food insecurity data and healthcare expenditures. For instance, the healthcare costs incurred over one year by a severely food-insecure Ontario adult was estimated to average $3,930, considerably more than the $1,608 in costs incurred by a food-secure adult.
"The high healthcare costs associated with food insecurity revealed in this study highlight the pressing need for effective intervention," concluded Dr. Tarasuk.
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