Screening for Food Insecurity: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement

Authors

Wanda K. Nicholson, George Washington University, Washington, DC.
Michael Silverstein, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island.
John B. Wong, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
David Chelmow, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond.
Tumaini Rucker Coker, University of Washington, Seattle.
Alicia Fernandez, University of California, San Francisco.
Ericka Gibson, Kaiser Permanente, Atlanta, Georgia.
Carlos Roberto Jaén, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio.
Marie Krousel-Wood, Tulane University, New Orleans, Louisiana.
Sei Lee, University of California, San Francisco.
Goutham Rao, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.
John M. Ruiz, University of Arizona, Tucson.
James Stevermer, University of Missouri, Columbia.
Joel Tsevat, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio.
Sandra Millon Underwood, University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee.
Sarah Wiehe, Indiana University, Bloomington.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

3-11-2025

Journal

JAMA

DOI

10.1001/jama.2025.0879

Abstract

IMPORTANCE: According to survey data, 12.8% of households experienced food insecurity in 2022, with 7.7% of households experiencing low food security and 5.1% experiencing very low food security. Nearly one-third of households with incomes below the federal poverty threshold are food insecure. Food insecurity is one among a multitude of medical, psychological, and social conditions common among economically disadvantaged households. OBJECTIVE: The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) commissioned a systematic review to evaluate the evidence on the benefits and harms of screening for food insecurity in the health care setting. POPULATION: Children, adolescents, and adults. EVIDENCE ASSESSMENT: The USPSTF concludes that the evidence is insufficient and the balance of benefits and harms for screening for food insecurity on health outcomes in the primary care setting cannot be determined. RECOMMENDATION: The USPSTF concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for food insecurity on health outcomes in the primary care setting. (I statement).

APA Citation

Nicholson, Wanda K.; Silverstein, Michael; Wong, John B.; Chelmow, David; Coker, Tumaini Rucker; Fernandez, Alicia; Gibson, Ericka; Jaén, Carlos Roberto; Krousel-Wood, Marie; Lee, Sei; Rao, Goutham; Ruiz, John M.; Stevermer, James; Tsevat, Joel; Underwood, Sandra Millon; and Wiehe, Sarah, "Screening for Food Insecurity: US Preventive Services Task Force Recommendation Statement" (2025). GW Authored Works. Paper 6831.
https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/gwhpubs/6831

Department

Prevention and Community Health