Bottom Line: The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) concludes that the current evidence is insufficient to assess the balance of benefits and harms of screening for food insecurity on health outcomes in the primary care setting. According to survey data, 12.8% of households experienced food insecurity in 2022, with 7.7% of households experiencing low food security and 5.1% experiencing very low food security. Nearly one-third of households with incomes below the federal poverty threshold are food insecure. Food insecurity is one among a multitude of medical, psychological, and social conditions common among economically disadvantaged households. The USPSTF routinely makes recommendations about the effectiveness of preventive care services. This is a new USPSTF topic.

The study found that synergistic and supportive practices, such as providing resources to support the formation of collaborative groups (professional development groups, walking groups, etc.), visually advertising lifestyle medicine, and creating a supportive environment by offering healthy plant-based meal options in cafeterias facilitated the implementation of lifestyle medicine programming.