Underrated risk: Food insecurity and distress of Filipino Americans with hypertension in a primary care setting.
Reimund Serafica, Miguel Fudolig, Andrew Thomas Reyes and 1 others
PMID 41342713WHAT IT FOUND
Filipino American adults with hypertension who reported food insecurity had higher distress, more sleep problems, worry, and sadness than food-secure adults, even after accounting for income, age, and gender.
Key findings
01Food-insecure participants had higher distress scores than food-secure participants, with median scores of 4 and 2.
02Food-insecure participants reported sleep problems more often (51.35% vs 29.96%), and the study reported adjusted odds 242% higher after accounting for income, age, and sex.
03Food insecurity was associated with worry and sadness, but not with pain, fatigue, or tingling.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The study measured food insecurity and distress at one time point, so it cannot show which came first or whether one caused the other. Participants were recruited from a single primary care clinic in Southern Nevada using convenience sampling, so the results may not apply to Filipino Americans in other regions or settings. Food insecurity, distress, sleep, worry, and sadness were self-reported, and cultural norms such as hiya may have led some participants to underreport hardship or emotional symptoms. The study tested associations, not whether screening, referral, or treatment improves hypertension, sleep, or distress. The paper reports two different adjusted odds for sadness, 283% higher and 285% higher, so the exact size of that association is unclear.
Declared interests
The authors report no competing interests.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 242% higher odds for sleep problems as proof that addressing food insecurity will reduce distress or improve hypertension. This study measured associations at one time point, not the effects of a treatment.