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APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Olga Lemberg, BS, Brown Medical School, 40 Sessions St., #18, Providence, RI 02906, 401.525.0220, olga_lemberg@brown.edu, Rebecca M. Kislak, Esq, Rhode Island Family Advocacy Program, Rhode Island Legal Services, 128 Dorrance Street, Providence, RI 02903, Edward Feller, MD, Clinical Professor of Medicine, Brown Medical School, Box G-A4, Providence, RI 02912, and Lori Leibowitz, BA, Project Health, Providence Site Director, Hasbro Children's Hospital, 593 Eddy St., Providence, RI 02903.

Background: Food insecurity, the inability to secure an adequate, healthy diet meeting basic nutritional standards, affects nearly 35 million Americans; approximately 37% are children. It is associated with an increased risk of medical illness and psycho-social distress. National participation by those eligible in Food Stamp Programs (FSP) has significantly decreased in the last decade. In Rhode Island (RI), 30% of eligible individuals do not enroll in FSP and only 59% of eligible children outside RI's core cities participate. The RI Family Advocacy Program (RIFAP) furnishes free legal services in healthcare settings to aid families in meeting basic needs and provides patient advocacy training for healthcare workers. Objectives: Our RIFAP project goal was to research, design and produce an educational pamphlet on FSP for RIFAP clientele and healthcare providers to confront food insecurity in RI. Methods and Results: Preliminary research on FSP revealed barriers limiting enrollment, including complicated eligibility rules, eligibility misconceptions, and inadequate resources for applicants. Three goals were addressed: decreased stigma surrounding food stamps, increased understanding of eligibility and simplification of the application process. The pamphlet will be posted on the RIFAP website and distributed to healthcare providers, the RIFAP Family Help Desk at Hasbro Children's Hospital and RIFAP clientele, with plans to expand distribution to other resource-poor environments. Conclusions: Inability to meet basic nutritional needs is a pervasive health problem. Despite existence of a national FSP, many eligible applicants fail to apply. This comprehensive and practical FSP pamphlet will help minimize barriers to enrollment.

Learning Objectives:

• Recognize the degree and implications of food insecurity in vulnerable populations.
• Identify barriers to participation of eligible individuals and families in food stamp programs.
• Evaluate the components necessary to design and produce an educational intervention to alleviate food insecurity.

Keywords: Food Security,

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Not Answered