Association between health care access and food insecurity among lower-income older adults with multiple chronic conditions in Washington State, USA

Bibliographic Data

ID15096104
AuthorsCourtney M Hill (0000-0002-6487-5258, University of Washington, corresponding author), Ashley S Tseng (0000-0003-2304-579X, University of Washington), Katherine Holzhauer (0000-0002-4121-8319, University of Washington), Alyson J Littman (0000-0002-4247-8286, Health Services Research & Development), Jessica C Jones-Smith (0000-0001-8962-1695, University of Washington)
Year2023
Volume26
Issue1
Pages199-207
Publication date2023-01-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePublic Health Nutrition (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1368-9800 • E-ISSN: 1475-2727
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1368980022001240
PMID35603699
OpenAlexW4281294105
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited36

Objective: Lower-income older adults with multiple chronic conditions (MCC) are highly vulnerable to food insecurity. However, few studies have considered how health care access is related to food insecurity among older adults with MCC. The aims of this study were to examine associations between MCC and food insecurity, and, among older adults with MCC, between health care access and food insecurity. Design: Cross-sectional study data from the 2019 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey. Setting: Washington State, USA. Participants: Lower-income adults, aged 50 years or older ( n 2118). MCC was defined as having ≥ 2 of 11 possible conditions. Health care access comprised three variables (unable to afford seeing the doctor, no health care coverage and not having a primary care provider (PCP)). Food insecurity was defined as buying food that did not last and not having money to get more. Results: The overall prevalence of food insecurity was 26·0 % and was 1·50 times greater (95 % CI 1·16, 1·95) among participants with MCC compared to those without MCC. Among those with MCC ( n 1580), inability to afford seeing a doctor was associated with food insecurity (prevalence ratio (PR) 1·83; 95 % CI 1·46, 2·28), but not having health insurance (PR 1·49; 95 % CI 0·98, 2·24) and not having a PCP (PR 1·10; 95 % CI 0·77, 1·57) were not. Conclusions: Inability to afford healthcare is related to food insecurity among older adults with MCC. Future work should focus on collecting longitudinal data that can clarify the temporal relationship between MCC and food insecurity

Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System · Environmental health · Food insecurity · Food security · Geography · Health care · Population · Food Security and Health in Diverse Populations · Geriatric Care and Nursing Homes · Homelessness and Social Issues · Medicine · Gerontology

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