How Common Is Food Insecurity Among Older Adults?

A study by Kaiser Permanente's Institute for Health Research scientists published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society sought to examine food insecurity among older adults, reports ScienceDaily . The team studied information from a survey administered to more than 50,000 older adults between 2012 and 2015. More than 50,000 people answered the question about food insecurity, and more than 2,950 said they sometimes lacked enough money to buy the food they needed. The researchers found food insecurity was least common among people 85 years old or older, and most common in people between 75 and 84 years old. In addition, more than a quarter of people with both Medicaid and Medicare said they had food insecurity. Food insecurity also was more frequent among women, people without a spouse or partner, those who used tobacco or alcohol, and people with high blood pressure, diabetes, or diagnosed depression. Furthermore, people who had been hospitalized, visited an emergency department, or had lived in a nursing community in the year before the survey had food insecurity. Food insecurity also was reported by at least 10 percent of people who had fair or poor general health or quality-of-life, oral or dental problems, difficulty with activities of daily living, a poor diet, and no one to call for help. The team concluded that ways to identify food insecurity in older adults needed to be integrated with techniques to connect older adults with community-based food resources.