title: Food insecurity among psychiatric patients and welfare clients in Israel.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Twenty-two percent of households in Israel experience food insecurity, and it is especially widespread in socio-economically distressed strata. Although their low socio-economic status renders psychiatric patients at risk for food insecurity, this issue has thus far been ignored in both practice and research.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To explore food insecurity among psychiatric patients in comparison with welfare-services clients in order to raise awareness of food insecurity in this population.
  
  
  METHODS
  114 respondents were recruited from among patients admitted to the emergency room and hospitalized in a mental health center in Beer Sheva; 555 respondents were recruited from among low-income clients of welfare service agencies in the Beer Sheva area. All respondents were surveyed with a self-report questionnaire and with the Food Security Core Survey Module (FSCSM).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty percent of psychiatric patients and 59% of welfare-services clients reported food insecurity. The use of formal and informal support systems was lower among food-insecure psychiatric patients than among food-insecure welfare clients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Psychiatric patients appear to be a risk population for food insecurity; therefore planned interventions and specific food programs are called for.
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Work, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Roni
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kaufman
authors.affiliation: Department of Social Work, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Julia
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Mirsky
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Ministry of Health Mental Health Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Eliezer
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Witztum
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Health Sciences, Ministry of Health Mental Health Center, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel.
authors.forename: Nimrod
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Grisaru
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007557:Israel / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D028642:Persons with Psychiatric Disorders / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008875:Middle Aged; D011203:Poverty / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012946:Social Welfare / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*