Food Insecurity and Mortality From Digestive Tract Diseases in the United States

Background and aims: Food insecurity arising from insufficient access to food necessary for an active and healthy lifestyle is a prevalent yet underrecognized predictor of health that can increase the risk of chronic disorders. The impact of food insecurity on mortality rates from digestive tract diseases within the United States was analyzed.

Methods

County-level age-standardized mortality rates for digestive tract diseases, encompassing both gastrointestinal tract and liver diseases, were obtained for 2015-2020 and linked to corresponding county-level measures of food insecurity, access to stores, enrollment in food programs, and other local variables. Separate analyses were performed for cancer and for noncancer conditions.