Government Capital, Intimate and Community Social Capital, and Food Security Status in Older Adults with Different Income Levels

Abstract

Whether government-based forms of food assistance such as the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), communal efforts including food pantries, aid from friends and family, or alternative means such as gardening are the appropriate means to reduce the prevalence of household food insecurity is a continuous source of policy contention. To inform this debate, we examine the relative importance of these forms of food assistance and acquisition to a sample of U.S. older adults from the 2010 Brazos Valley Health Assessment of central Texas households that have been stratified by income eligibility for SNAP, low-income SNAP ineligibility, and above low income status. To identify how membership in these socioeconomic groups constrains household capacity to acquire sufficient food to maintain an adequate and healthy diet, we explore the varied associations of assets received from government; communal and intimate social networks; and alternative food sources such as gardening, hunting, and fishing with household food security across socioeconomic status, while examining the importance of place of residence on the use of capital assets. SNAP participation was the only specific capital asset associated with all levels of food insecurity for both SNAP-eligible and ineligible low-income groups, thus emphasizing the continued importance of food assistance among povertylevel older adults.

Eating Alone or Together among Community-Living Older People—A Scoping Review

“…Aspects that were highlighted less than one might anticipate from a public health perspective were socioeconomic factors and gender. A few studies highlight income as a relevant variable [ 13 , 23 , 64 , 80 ] and gender differences of eating alone are specifically examined in four studies included [ 15 , 21 , 53 , 74 ]. Moreover, some studies show associations between eating alone and negative health outcomes in men but not in women, regarding depressive symptoms [ 21 ], metabolic syndrome [ 14 ], and mortality [ 15 , 16 ].…”

Food Acquisition Strategies, Food Security, and Health Status among Families with Children Using Food Pantries

“…In a study of Latino migrant farmworkers, obtaining food through hunting and fishing resulted in greater food security (Quandt, Arcury, Early, Tapia, & Davis, 2004). Dean, Sharkey, Nalty, and Xu's (2014) study found evidence to support that low-income residents who gardened consumed more vegetables and were more likely to be food secure, especially in rural areas.…”

Saviors and Services: The Interface of Neoliberal Deprivation, Hegemonic Christianity, Social Exclusion, and Rural Church Resource Provision☆

“…This is especially difficult for vulnerable populations, such as those who are poor, elderly, and those who rely on their social network to help with transportation. Those in poverty navigate food insecurity by stretching their income or turning to alternative food resources such as food pantries, soup kitchens, and community meals (Dean et al 2014). Local churches routinely run or support these services in rural regions to fill infrastructural gaps in resource provision (Coleman-Jensen and Steffen 2017).…”