Obesity and poor physical function contribute to food insecurity in older adults in Georgia senior centers

Abstract

It is unclear why obesity is sometimes associated with food insecurity (FIS). The hypothesis that poor physical function (PF) may be related to this paradox was tested in a convenience sample of older adults receiving nutrition services from senior centers in Georgia (N =759, mean age 75, 81% female, 36% black, 63% white). PF was measured using the short physical performance battery (Guralnik et al, 1994) and FIS defined as a "no" response to "Do you always have enough money to buy the food you need?" The prevalence of FIS was 18%, obesity (BMI > 35) was 18%, and poor (0‐5), moderate (6‐9) and good physical function (10‐12) was 23.3%, 51.8%, and 25.0%. Compared to food secure, the FIS were younger (73 vs 76, p < 0.01), likely to be black (69.0% vs 31.0%, p < 0.01), had higher BMI (31.4 ± 7.6 vs 29.0 ± 6.3, p < 0.02), and lower PF (6.8 ± 2.8 vs 7.6 ± 2.8, p < 0.03). In logistic regression analyses the risk of being FIS vs food secure was significantly increased by being <80 years, being black, obese (OR: 1.65 [1.01, 2.68]), and having poorer PF (OR: 1.78 [1.02, 3.09]) after controlling for confounders. Thus, impaired PF and obesity independently contributed to FIS and may indicate an enhanced need for nutrition assistance. Further efforts are warranted to understand the relationships among obesity, poor PF, and FIS and ways to address them in nutrition assistance programs targeted to older adults. Funding: GA‐AES, GA Division of Aging Services.