Food insecurity linked to cost-related medication underuse in chronically ill Americans

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2014-03/ehs-fil031814.php

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 21-Mar-2014

Contact: Jane Grochowski
Elsevier Health Sciences

Food insecurity linked to cost-related medication underuse in chronically ill Americans

Treat or eat: Many forced to choose between food or medicine, reports The American Journal of Medicine

Philadelphia, PA, March 21, 2014 – Chronically ill adults who reported food insecurity in their household (not having consistent access to food due to lack of financial stability) were significantly more likely to report cost-related medication underuse, according to a new study in The American Journal of Medicine,. The term cost-related medication underuse refers to taking less medication than prescribed, or not taking it at all due to financial concerns.

Despite renewed optimism about the economy, many people in the United States continue to feel financial hardships. In 2012, 1 in 5 Americans reported having trouble meeting basic needs, and on top of that, 1 in 6 people reported having no form of health insurance. For the chronically ill, the difference between paying rent or putting food on the table may be the cost of their medication.

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In order to explore the possible link between food insecurity and cost-related medication underuse, investigators looked at 9696 adult participants in the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) who had reported chronic illness. They found that 23.4% of the chronically ill study participants reported cost-related medication underuse, while 18.8% reported food insecurity and 11% reported both. This means that 1 in 3 chronically ill NHIS participants are unable to afford food, medications, or both.

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"We report an association between public insurance programs, such as Medicaid and owed cost-related medication underuse compared with private insurance prescription benefits," explains Dr. Berkowitz. "Low- or no-cost sharing prescription drug benefits have been associated with improved health outcomes in a general population, as well as the reduction of socioeconomic disparities in health outcomes."

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