title: Food insecurity in Australia: Implications for general practitioners.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  In Australia, it would appear that food is abundant. For a proportion of people, however, accessing enough food to eat can be a daily or weekly struggle.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This article provides a summary about the prevalence, causes and consequences of food insecurity that affects vulnerable populations in Australia, and discusses the implications for general practitioners (GPs).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  It is estimated that 4% of Australians cannot access sufficient, safe and nutritious food. Food insecurity can be both a precursor to, and a by-product of, chronic disease and poverty. Patients who are food insecure may skip meals, eat cheap food and experience stress. They may show incredible resilience and skills in managing and masking this issue. Identifying this vulnerable population is of high importance to GPs as it has an impact on the work-up and care of such individuals. Effective links between welfare and health services are required to address patients' material, financial and environmental barriers to food security.
authors.forename: Rebecca
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lindberg
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lawrence
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gold
authors.forename: Sharon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Friel
authors.forename: Olivia
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pegram
mesh_terms: D001315:Australia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005523:Food Supply / Q000592:standards*; D005517:Foodborne Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D058005:General Practitioners / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011203:Poverty; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D035862:Vulnerable Populations / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*