Cost-related medication underuse and food insecurity are common among chronically ill adults, with 1/3 of patients reporting one or both.
Abstract
Background
Adults with chronic disease are often unable to meet medication and food needs, but no study has examined the relationship between cost-related medication underuse and food insecurity in a nationally representative sample. We examined which groups most commonly face unmet food and medication needs.
Methods
Cross-sectional analysis of data from chronically ill participants (self-report of arthritis, diabetes mellitus, cancer, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, stroke, hypertension, coronary heart disease, or presence of a “psychiatric problem”) aged ≥20 years, in the 2011 National Health Interview Survey. We fit logistic regression models to identify factors associated with food insecurity, cost-related medication underuse, or both.
Results
There were 9696 adult National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) participants who reported chronic illness; 23.4% reported cost-related medication underuse; 18.8% reported food insecurity; and 11% reported both. Adults who reported food insecurity were significantly more likely to report cost-related medication underuse (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 4.03). Participants with both cost-related medication underuse and food insecurity were more likely to be Hispanic (aOR 1.58), non-Hispanic black (aOR 1.58), and have more chronic conditions (aOR per additional chronic condition 1.56) than patients reporting neither. They also were less likely to have public, non-Medicare insurance (aOR 0.70) and report participation in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program for Woman, Infants, and Children (aOR 0.39).
Conclusions
Approximately 1 in 3 chronically ill NHIS participants are unable to afford food, medications, or both. WIC and public health insurance participation are associated with less food insecurity and cost-related medication underuse.
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– Seth A. Berkowitz, MD, Hilary K. Seligman, MD, MAS, Niteesh K. Choudhry, MD, PhD
This article originally appeared in the April 2014 issue of The American Journal of Medicine.
