Senior food insecurity in the USA: a systematic literature review

Abstract

Objective: Understanding the factors associated with senior food insecurity is key to understanding senior-specific needs to develop targeted interventions and ultimately lower the prevalence and the incidence of food insecurity. We aimed to systematically review published literature and summarize the associated factors of food insecurity in older adults in the US. Design: We searched Pubmed, Scopus, Web of science, EconLit, and JSTOR databases for peer-reviewed articles published in English between January 2005 and September 2019 that assessed food security or its associated factors for US adults aged 60 and older. After a two-step screening process, 20 articles were retained and included in the review. Setting: NA Participants: NA Results: The majority of studies were cross-sectional (70%), consisted of data from one state (60%), and had large sample sizes. Food insecure individuals were more likely to be younger, less educated, Black or African American, female, a current smoker, low income, self-report fair/poor health, have chronic conditions, and utilize government assistance programs. Food insecurity was associated with medication non-adherence, poor mental health outcomes, and limitations in physical functioning. Results were mixed for overweight/obesity status. There was no discernable pattern related to the consistency of findings by the assessed quality of the included studies. Conclusions: Food insecurity is a prevalent and pervasive issue for older adults. The numerous correlates identified suggest that interventions aimed at enhancing food and nutrition safety-net and medication assistance programs are warranted, and upstream, systemic level interventions may be best suited to deal with the correlates of food insecurity.

Factors Associated With Food Insecurity Among a Community-Based Sample of Older Adults in a North Florida County

“…Several studies found similar results. For example, Mavegam Tango Assoumou et al (2023) found that among older adults, food-insecure respondents tended to be younger. Berning et al (2022) found that older households are more food secure than younger households.…”

“…Socioeconomic factors are similarly linked to food insecurity. For example, Facchini et al (2014) and Mavegam Tango Assoumou et al (2023) report that low maternal education, family income, and receipt of income assistance positively correlated with food insecurity.…”

The One Health approach for allergic diseases and asthma

“…It is suggested that food insecurity is prevalent among older adults and pregnant women in high‐income countries and is associated with numerous correlates such as lower income, poor health outcomes, and limitations in physical functioning. Targeted interventions, including food and nutrition safety nets and medication assistance programs, are warranted to address these issues 30,31 …”

“…Targeted interventions, including food and nutrition safety nets and medication assistance programs, are warranted to address these issues. 30,31 In 2017, areas with the highest prevalence of food insecurity included Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean; the lowest rates of food insecurity were observed in North America, Europe, and Central Asia. Risk factors for experiencing food insecurity include low levels of education, weak social networks, and the lack of support from friends and family in times of need.…”

Food insecurity and other barriers to adherence to a gluten-free diet in individuals with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity in the Netherlands: a mixed-methods study

“…This was intensified amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, with worldwide food shortages, increased food prices and loss of income making food insecurity more visible (3). Part of the research on food insecurity has focused on target populations that appear to be at risk for food insecurity, such as low-income households, ethnic minorities and senior citizens (4)(5)(6)(7)(8)(9). In the Netherlands, limited food security research has been done, but it has identified a 73% prevalence of food insecurity among food bank recipients and a 26% prevalence in disadvantaged neighborhoods (10,11).…”