Association of post-discharge meal delivery with hospital readmissions among food-insecure older adults

Top Things to Know

Post-discharge meal support may be a promising strategy for supporting care transitions among high-risk older adults.

Earlier meal delivery appeared to be associated with greater benefit, highlighting implementation factors such as referral efficiency and speed of service connection as potentially important considerations for future FIM programs.

The study identifies a need for randomized trials and economic evaluations to determine causal effects, optimal meal duration, timing of delivery, and long-term sustainability of post-discharge meal interventions.

Summary of Conclusion/Findings

This retrospective cohort study evaluated whether participation in a Meals on Wheels hospital discharge pilot was associated with lower readmission rates among older adults (≥60 years) at risk of food insecurity or malnutrition who were discharged home from a large academic health system in North Carolina. Patients referred to the program received two weeks of home-delivered meals, and outcomes were compared between those who received meals and those who did not. Among 380 eligible referrals (368 patients), 62.9% received meals, and meal receipt was associated with significantly lower odds of 14-day readmission (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.31; 95% CI 0.14-0.69) and 21-day readmission (aOR 0.47; 95% CI 0.23-0.95), although the association was attenuated and no longer statistically significant at 30 days (aOR 0.82; 95% CI 0.44-1.53). Earlier meal delivery (within 9 days of discharge) was also associated with lower 14-day readmissions compared with no meal delivery.