Association of Socioeconomic Risk Factors of Food Insecurity With Post-abdominal Surgery Complications in the USA.

Authors

Rita K Bliesner, Dominick DeMasi, Laura Cossette, Rahul Garg

Published in

Cureus. Volume 18. Issue 8. Pages e114846. Epub Aug 20, 2026.

Abstract

Background Postoperative complications are common for gastrointestinal surgeries, ranging from mild symptoms such as nausea and scarring to fatal outcomes such as hemorrhage and sepsis. Comorbidities and overall preoperative health of a patient impact both surgical outcomes and postoperative complications. Socioeconomic risk factors such as food deserts, healthcare deserts, and transportation limitations can influence the risk of postoperative complications but have limited preexisting data. Proper nutrition has been found to aid in healing and can lessen postoperative complications. Methods We utilized the 2021 National Inpatient Sample from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP) to analyze the association of food insecurity with common postoperative complications for hernia repair, cholecystectomy, gastric bypass, gastric banding, and enterectomy. Results Multivariate logistic regression adjusting for demographics (age, gender, and race) and comorbidities (diabetes, hypertension, cancer, substance misuse, autoimmune disorders, mental health, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), obesity, vascular disease, and thyroid disorders) showed a 4.5% increase in the risk of postoperative complications in patients at risk of having food insecurity (odds ratio (OR)=1.045; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.004-1.087; p=0.03). Conclusion This significant increase in risk can be used as a predictor to further refine patient care related to postoperative complications. Providers can use diagnosis codes associated with socioeconomic risk factors in patient charts to flag the patients for additional precautions and follow-up. Additionally, there is a need for more healthcare providers and facilities in areas of food shortage.

PMID:
42763672
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 20 Sep 2026.

Read full publication at:
Please sign in to see all details.

Stats

1-terrible, 9-excellent. How would you rate this publication? Sign in in to submit your rating.

Post a comment

You need to be signed in to post comments. You can sign in here.

Comments

There are no comments yet.