Year-end Sale % OFF 
Abstract
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.
Highlights
The aging of societies has increased in recent decades due to an increase in life expectancy and a decrease in the fertility rate [1]
Our study found that restrictions in the availability of food resulting from the distance between the place of residence of the elderly and the place of purchase were more often associated with declaring concerns related to the availability of food, while slightly fewer people reported specific changes related to the availability of food in their households
Too large a distance from the place of residence to the place where food was purchased was the cause of a lack of a sense of food security in the studied group of elderly people, especially in the groups of men, people aged 75 and more, those living in a rural environment and those living alone
Summary
The aging of societies has increased in recent decades due to an increase in life expectancy and a decrease in the fertility rate [1]. Taking into account the economic and social costs involved with the aging of the population, the need to identify risk factors in order to protect against age-related health problems and disability seems to be obvious [3]. One such factor is food insecurity, understood as the limited or uncertain availability of nutritionally adequate and health-safe food or an uncertain ability to obtain acceptable food in a socially acceptable way [4]. Its consequence is many harmful health effects [10,11,12]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
