SOCIAL SUPPORT AND MONETARY RESOURCES AS PROTECTIVE FACTORS AGAINST FOOD INSECURITY AMONG OLDER AMERICANS

Abstract

Food insecurity has been identified as a risk factor of nutritional inadequacy and several chronic health conditions. In the U.S., as many as 17% of older adults are food insecure. Both social support and monetary resources have been negatively associated with food insecurity, yet whether social support moderates the association between monetary resources and food insecurity among older adults has not been examined. The purpose of this study is to examine the association between social support (social contact, emotional support, and social strain), monetary resources, and food insecurity among older Americans. We examined a sample of 2,800 adults aged 50 and older drawn from the 2012 Health and Retirement Study and 2013 Health Care and Nutrition Study. In general, emotional support was negatively associated, and social strain was positively associated, with food insecurity, respectively. We identified a synergistic interaction effect between assets and emotional support on reducing food insecurity, suggesting the protective effect of greater monetary assets was stronger among those with higher social support. This study confirms that social support can protect older adults from the risk of food insecurity and finds that greater monetary resources are especially protective against food insecurity for those with greater social support. The results indicate the importance of nutritional interventions for older adults that incorporate strategies to maximize social support, address social strain, and account for the synergistic impact of social support and monetary resources to prevent food insecurity among older adults.