1148 - Nutrition Security Status Among Individuals with Spinal Cord Injury: An Exploratory Cross-Sectional Study

Objectives:
Individuals with spinal cord injury (SCI) experience disproportionately higher rates of chronic conditions, such as cardiometabolic disorders, obesity, and type 2 diabetes, compared to the general population. Nutrition security, defined as consistent access to safe, affordable, and nutritious food, is increasingly recognized as a critical determinant of chronic disease risk and may disproportionately affect individuals with disabilities. Therefore, this exploratory cross-sectional study aimed to examine the prevalence of nutrition insecurity among adults with chronic SCI and to explore potential sociodemographic and injury-related correlates.


Design: Ninety-nine adults with SCI completed the U.S. Household Nutrition Security Measure. Scores ≤2 were classified as “nutrition insecure.” Variables of interest included sex, race, income, insurance type, educational attainment, governmental assistance, injury level, age group, traumatic versus non-traumatic injury, and whether participants served as the primary food shopper or preparer. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests (or Fisher’s exact test when applicable) and effect size estimation.

Results: 14.6% of adults with SCI were classified as nutrition insecure. Small effect sizes were observed for primary food preparer status (d = 0.30) and injury level (d = 0.22). Individuals were more likely to experience nutrition insecurity if food was primarily prepared by a family member (32.1%) compared with preparing it themselves (8.5%), and if they had a cervical-level injury (23.3%) compared with a thoracic-level injury (7.5%). Minimal effect sizes were found for sex, race, income, insurance type, education, governmental assistance, age group, or injury etiology.

Conclusions: While small associations were observed with primary food preparer status and injury level, these findings should be interpreted cautiously given the exploratory design and limited sample size. Further research is warranted to understand the determinants and health consequences of nutrition insecurity in this population and to guide targeted interventions.