Assessment of Food Insecurity Screening Practices in Pediatric Kidney Transplant Care Across IROC Centers - PubMed (original) (raw)

Assessment of Food Insecurity Screening Practices in Pediatric Kidney Transplant Care Across IROC Centers

Eva Glenn Lecea et al. Pediatr Transplant. 2025 Dec.

Abstract

Introduction: Food insecurity (FI) is a key social driver of health linked to poor outcomes in chronic disease and affects up to 20% of pediatric kidney transplant (KT) recipients. We assessed FI screening and management practices across centers in the Improving Renal Outcomes Collaborative (IROC).

Methods: A cross-sectional REDCap survey was distributed to 43 IROC centers in July 2024 to evaluate FI screening prevalence, methods, barriers, and interventions.

Results: Twenty centers (47%) responded; 13 (65%) reported screening for FI. Screening was mainly performed by nurses or medical assistants using the Hunger Vital Sign or institution-specific tools, most often documented in the EHR SDoH tab. Centers not screening cited limited staff and uncertainty managing positive screens. All screening centers offered at least one intervention, most commonly social work referrals (100%) and dietitian consults (69%).

Discussion: Over half of responding pediatric KT centers routinely screen for FI, but workforce and workflow barriers persist. Standardized EHR-based screening and a national toolkit of food resources may enhance FI management and promote health equity among pediatric KT recipients.

© 2025 Wiley Periodicals LLC.

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