552 - Social Connectedness as a Protective Factor in Low-Income Families with Young Children

Friday, April 28, 2023

5:15 PM – 7:15 PM ET

Poster Number: 552
Publication Number: 552.118

Janine Rethy, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States; Lauren N. Clore, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC, United States; Agrawal Rajeev, MedStar Health Research Institute, Washington, DC, United States

Presenting Author(s)

Lauren N. Clore, BS (she/her/hers)

Medical Student
Georgetown University School of Medicine
Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Co-Author(s)

Janine Rethy, MD, MPH (she/her/hers)

Division Chief, Community Pediatrics/Associate Professor, Pediatrics
MedStar Georgetown University Hospital/Georgetown University School of Medicine
Washington, District of Columbia, United States

Background: Social connectedness is an individual’s sense of belonging within relationships and groups. In adults, social connectedness is predictive of reduced mortality and improved mental health outcomes. In contrast, social isolation may have an association with food insecurity, and low-income families may be at higher risk of social isolation. As social connectedness is likely modifiable, further understanding of the relationship between social connectedness, food insecurity, and other social determinants of health can help inform future pediatric interventions.

Objective: The objective of this research is to measure social connectedness among low-income families using a validated tool and to describe the relationship between social connectedness and other social determinants of health such as food insecurity and parental stress.

Design/Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted under the Healthy Children and Families (HCF) cohort intervention program. HCF is a year-long study by an urban pediatric clinic aimed to understand and address food insecurity and its interplay with other social determinants of health. This study evaluated baseline data from participant enrollment in HCF. Participants were families with at least one child ages 0-5 years screened for food insecurity or at risk for food insecurity. Survey tools included Social Provisions Scale 5-item Short Form, USDA US Household Food Security Survey, and Parental Stress Index. 27 families completed HCF baseline assessments and were included in this study. Outcome measures were associations between variables assessed with Pearson correlations and Spearman’s rank correlations.

Results: The average social connectedness score was 14.5 (scale 5-20). A moderate negative correlation was identified between social connectedness and food insecurity (r= -0.43, p-value=0.026). A strong negative correlation was identified between social connectedness and parental stress (r=-0.65, p-value=0.001)

Conclusion(s): To our knowledge, this is the first study to describe social connectedness using the SPS-5 validated tool in low-income families with young children. Social connectedness is a measurable social determinant of health that this study has identified as a possible protective factor. These findings have implications for pediatric screenings and interventions in the primary care setting.