1. Food Insecurity and its Effects on Cardiovascular Health
Rachel Rose Vaca
DePaul University
Background
Results
Over 23 million Americans live in food deserts. Living in a food desert means the closet grocery store is over a mile away. Being food insecure means having limited access to safe and nutritionally adequate food. About 49 million people will experience food insecurity this year. Nutrition is one of the few risk factors people can modify that can impact their heart. However, 79% of Americans who depend on Feed America, will choose to buy inexpensive and unhealthy food because they can’t afford healthier options.
Twelve articles met the eligibility criteria. In adults with no pre-existing conditions who were food insecure it was found they had a higher probability of being obese, having dyslipidemia and dysglycemia. Food insecurity was greater in populations that had diabetes, hypertension, obesity and coronary heart disease. Those who had diabetes and were food insecure were found to have higher rates of uncontrolled diabetes. No association was found between blood pressure and being food insecure. In children who were food insecure, it was found they had higher BMIs, and increased cholesterol levels.
Conceptual Framework
Betty Neuman’s Systems Model theory relies on many assumptions. One of those assumptions is many known, unknown and universal stressors exist and each has the ability for upsetting a clients stability. If the stressor becomes too great, the stressor will breakdown the client’s defenses.
Conclusions
Being food insecure in America does not mean not having access to food, it means not having access to nutrient dense food. Those who were food insecure consumed higher amounts of sugar sweetened beverages, sodium and process meats. Poor diet and being food insecure increased the incidence of obesity, high BMI, dyslipidemia and poor glucose control. These are known risk factors for developing various cardiovascular diseases.
Research Questions
How does not having adequate access to nutritional foods impact cardiovascular health and risk factors for cardiovascular disease?
Nursing implications
Nurses are advocates in and out of the clinical setting. Part of being advocate is advocating for policy change. Nurses can advocate for food assistant programs to cover more nutrient dense foods. Also, we can use this information to further educate our patients on the importance of a healthy diet. It is an easy way to improve and prevent various conditions and is far less expensive than medications.
Methods
The following databases were searched; CINAHL, ProQuest, Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition. Only peer reviewed articles published within the last 6 years were used for this IRL.