Measuring Food Insecurity Using the Food Abundance Index: Implications for Economic, Health and Social Well-Being

Murrell, Audrey J.; Jones, Ray

doi:10.3390/ijerph17072434

Cited by 24 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Unclassified

Order By: Relevance

“…Despite these challenges, policymakers can collaborate with local businesses, community leaders, and public health professionals to devise strategies that increase access to food for older adults. Because this study found variation in magnitude and significance for low access to food with older adult mortality from COVID-19 based on geographic location, a practical public health intervention may involve using the Food Abundance Index (FAI) to measure the level of food insecurity within a geographic region ( Murrell & Jones, 2020 ). The FAI scorecard evaluates (a) access, (b) diversity, (c) quality, (d) density, and (e) affordability using a point system.…”

Section: Discussion and Concluding Remarksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Older Adult Mortality From COVID-19: Food Access as a Determinant Within a Socio-ecological Framework

Sharma

2022

The Gerontologist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background and Objectives Low access to food can have an adverse impact on health yet there is limited research on how it is related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The objective of this study was to (a) better understand how inadequate food access was associated with older adult mortality from COVID-19 and (b) determine the spatial distribution of mortality from low food access utilizing a socio-ecological framework. Research Design and Methods This study area was the larger Midwest, a region of the United States, which included the following states: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. Data were aggregated from multiple sources at the county-level. Because the spatial data used in this study violated several assumptions of the global regression framework, geographically weighted regression (GWR) was employed. Results Results from GWR revealed low access to food was positively associated with mortality from COVID-19 for older adults but the association varied in (a) magnitude and (b) significance across the larger Midwest. More specifically, the socio-ecological framework suggested low access to food, female-headed households, and percentage Hispanic played a meaningful role in explaining older adult mortality for the western region of the larger Midwest. This was not as evident for the eastern portion. Discussion and Implications Such a finding calls attention to the importance of capturing the local context when devising policies to reduce mortality for older adults from COVID-19. Regional policymakers can collaborate with public health professionals when applying these results to formulate local action plans that recognize variations across geographic space.

show abstract

Section: Discussion and Concluding Remarksmentioning

confidence: 99%

Older Adult Mortality From COVID-19: Food Access as a Determinant Within a Socio-ecological Framework

Sharma

2022

The Gerontologist

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…However, this is an important access consideration for some populations, like those residing in colonias on the US-Mexico border and in low-income communities in Jamaica [ 30 , 88 ]. For FI, transportation and time to markets may be important among households that do not engage in subsistence farming, e.g., in areas with food scarcity in the USA [ 89 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food Insecurity and Water Insecurity in Rural Zimbabwe: Development of Multidimensional Household Measures

Koyratty

Jones

Schuster

et al. 2021

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: With millions of people experiencing malnutrition and inadequate water access, FI and WI remain topics of vital importance to global health. Existing unidimensional FI and WI metrics do not all capture similar multidimensional aspects, thus restricting our ability to assess and address food- and water-related issues. Methods: Using the Sanitation, Hygiene and Infant Nutrition Efficacy (SHINE) trial data, our study conceptualizes household FI (N = 3551) and WI (N = 3311) separately in a way that captures their key dimensions. We developed measures of FI and WI for rural Zimbabwean households based on multiple correspondence analysis (MCA) for categorical data. Results: Three FI dimensions were retained: ‘poor food access’, ‘household shocks’ and ‘low food quality and availability’, as were three WI dimensions: ‘poor water access’, ‘poor water quality’, and ‘low water reliability’. Internal validity of the multidimensional models was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) with test samples at baseline and 18 months. The dimension scores were associated with a group of exogenous variables (SES, HIV-status, season, depression, perceived health, food aid, water collection), additionally indicating predictive, convergent and discriminant validities. Conclusions: FI and WI dimensions are sufficiently distinct to be characterized via separate indicators. These indicators are critical for identifying specific problematic insecurity aspects and for finding new targets to improve health and nutrition interventions.

show abstract

“…However, it is still necessary to develop new effective solutions, whose introduction should be preceded by research on their acceptance amongst older people. Further research is also needed to help bridge the gap between academics, policymakers and practitioners in the area of food security [ 89 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Elderly Perception of Distance to the Grocery Store as a Reason for Feeling Food Insecurity—Can Food Policy Limit This?

Gajda

Jeżewska-Zychowicz

2020

Nutrients

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The sense of food insecurity in a group of elderly people may be determined by the perception of distance to food outlets. The aim of the study was to assess the relationship between the perception of food insecurity by the elderly and their perception of the distance between the places of residence and food purchase. A cross-sectional quantitative survey was carried out in 2019–2020 amongst 762 Polish elderly living in Świętokrzyskie and Śląskie Voivodeship. The assessment of the relationships between the perceived food insecurity due to living too far away from the grocery shops and socio-demographic features was performed using multiple correspondence analysis (MCA), chi-square tests, and Phi and Cramér’s V coefficients. Too great a distance to the place of food purchase was the cause of a lack of a sense of food security in 20.5% of the study sample, especially in men, people aged 75 and more, people living in a rural environment and people living alone. People reporting a lack of food due to the distance to the place of purchase showed socio-demographic characteristics similar to those of people declaring a lack of a sense of food security. Reduced food consumption due to the distance from the place of sale, including of fish (24.8%), some fruits (18.9%) and vegetables (15.4%) and beef (17.3%), may contribute to the deterioration of the diet and, as a result, health conditions. Including access to places of the sale of food in food policy as a factor contributing to ensuring the food security of older people can help to maintain a better quality of life and avoid exclusion. Especially in a situation of limited independence, food insecurity in elders due to causes other than financial limitations should be a focus of food policy.

show abstract

Measuring Food Insecurity Using the Food Abundance Index: Implications for Economic, Health and Social Well-Being

Cited by 24 publications

References 40 publications

Older Adult Mortality From COVID-19: Food Access as a Determinant Within a Socio-ecological Framework

Older Adult Mortality From COVID-19: Food Access as a Determinant Within a Socio-ecological Framework

Food Insecurity and Water Insecurity in Rural Zimbabwe: Development of Multidimensional Household Measures

Elderly Perception of Distance to the Grocery Store as a Reason for Feeling Food Insecurity—Can Food Policy Limit This?

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About