Food insecurity is defined as a limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate food.

The research also shows that veterans with medical and trauma-related conditions, as well as unmet social needs like housing instability, are more likely to experience food insecurity.

Researchers analyzed data with a focus on revealing the characteristics of veterans at the highest risk of food insecurity. If researchers know what populations to target, tailored interventions can be developed to address veterans’ needs and mitigate the long-term impacts of food insecurity on health and well-being.

“There’s not a one-size-fits-all solution for addressing veteran food insecurity,” says Alicia Cohen, assistant professor (research) of family medicine and of health services, policy, and practice at Brown University. Cohen is also corresponding author of the new paper in Public Health Nutrition.

“So findings from studies like this can be used in many ways, from helping to identify the most at-risk groups to helping address veterans’ immediate food need to connecting veterans with programs and resources that can hopefully help improve their food security over the long term.”

Many veterans face economic and employment challenges following military service, Cohen says, stemming both from service-related mental and physical health issues as well difficulty reintegrating into civilian life—actors that can increase the risk of food insecurity.

Yet food insecurity is often missed in clinical settings, says Cohen, who is also a primary care provider in the women’s health clinic and homeless clinic at the Providence VA Medical Center. “You can’t tell by looking at a patient if they’re struggling to put food on the table.”

Read the full article about food insecurity for veterans by Corrie Pikul at Futurity.