The Interactions of Food Security, Health, and Loneliness among Rural Older Adults before and after the Onset of COVID-19

Abstract

Older adults and those living in rural areas face unique challenges to health and food security which were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. We examine the interrelationships among food security, physical health, and loneliness among rural older adults before the onset of and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data from a cross-sectional household survey of older adults in rural Indiana, administered May 2020 through July 2020, our results show a higher prevalence of food insecurity, poorer physical health, and increased loneliness after the onset of the pandemic. Path analyses confirmed the interrelationship between food security, health, and the absence of loneliness before and after the onset of COVID-19. Loneliness emerged as a major pathway through which the pandemic impacted quality of life, particularly affecting older women and physical health. Policy initiatives should consider the unique experiences and challenges associated with rural life among older adults and create food security initiatives that incorporate socialization while also considering the challenges associated with poor physical health in older age. Furthermore, our analysis shows that those who are vulnerable to food security, poor health, and loneliness in the absence of a global pandemic remain vulnerable during a pandemic.

Risk Factors for Food Insecurity among Older Adults in India: Study Based on LASI, 2017–2018

“…Our finding that socially isolated older Indian adults were significantly more susceptible to food insecurity is consistent with past studies that have documented a strong positive relationship between loneliness and food insecurity [25,26,39]. Older adults living in rural or remote areas are particularly vulnerable to loneliness because towns and houses are further apart and they may have greater difficulty finding someone to assist them with accessing food, especially if they are homebound and cannot get to a supermarket or grocery store themselves.…”

Determinants of food insecurity among adults residing in peri-urban municipal settings in Flanders, Belgium

“…Current literature suggests that less social cohesion in a neighborhood may threaten the community's capacity to develop social and/or economic support among members, which may increase food insecurity (9). Besides social cohesion, social isolation has also been reported to play a role in the likelihood of experiencing food insecurity (10). For example, social isolation was demonstrated to be a characteristic of food-insecure households, but also a determinant that facilitated the continuation and escalation of food insecurity within the household (8,11).…”

Loneliness Among Older Indian Workers: Findings From the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India

“…The World Bank (1996) defines food security as “when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life.” While a significant issue in low- and middle-income countries such as India (George & McKay, 2019), food security is also a problem for many high-income countries (Loopstra, 2018). Loneliness has also been related to food insecurity at different ages (Guzman et al, 2022; Howe-Burris et al, 2022), with home food delivery programs such as Meals on Wheels in the US being associated with decreases in loneliness among older adults (Ross et al, 2022; Thomas et al, 2016; Wright et al, 2015). Poverty among those who work is high in several parts of Asia, including India and this is likely to be heightened in the case of older adults (Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, 2022).…”