QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wolfe, W. S. Articles by Valois, P. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Wolfe, W. S. Articles by Valois, P.

---

Community and International Nutrition

Understanding the Experience of Food Insecurity by Elders Suggests Ways to Improve Its Measurement¹

Wendy S. Wolfe^*,2, Edward A. Frongillo^* and Pascale Valois

^* Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853-6301 and Fonds de la Recherche en Santé du Québec, Montréal, Québec, Canada H3A 3C6

²To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: ww16{at}cornell.edu.

A full conceptualization of the elderly food insecurity experience has been lacking, leading to limitations in the definition and measurement of food insecurity in elders. Based on the qualitative analysis of two in-depth interviews 6 mo apart with each of 53 low income urban elders, using principles of grounded theory, the experience of elderly food insecurity was shown to have four components: quantitative, qualitative, psychological and social. The inability to obtain the right foods for health is a new element specific to elders. Common to each of these components were dimensions of severity, time and compromised food choice. Although money is a major cause of food insecurity, elders sometimes have enough money for food but are not able to access food because of transportation or functional limitations, or are not able to use food (i.e., not able to prepare or eat available food) because of functional impairments and health problems. These findings suggest that augmentation of the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module (FSSM), a national measure of food insecurity based on research in younger persons, may result in more accurate assessments for elders. We developed 14 new items for possible augmentation and administered them by telephone to these same elders along with the FSSM. Elders were independently classified according to food insecurity status based on their experience from the in-depth interviews, and these definitive criteria were used to evaluate the new and existing items. The results suggest that "couldn’t afford right foods for health" and two policy-relevant immediate causes, "couldn’t get the food I needed" and possibly "unable to prepare," should be added, although further testing is needed.

KEY WORDS: • food security • elderly • hunger • measurement

This article has been cited by other articles:

				K. Kim and E. A. Frongillo Participation in Food Assistance Programs Modifies the Relation of Food Insecurity with Weight and Depression in Elders J. Nutr., April 1, 2007; 137(4): 1005 - 1010. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. A. Quandt, J. I. Shoaf, J. Tapia, M. Hernandez-Pelletier, H. M. Clark, and T. A. Arcury Experiences of Latino Immigrant Families in North Carolina Help Explain Elevated Levels of Food Insecurity and Hunger J. Nutr., October 1, 2006; 136(10): 2638 - 2644. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				E. A. Frongillo and S. Nanama Development and Validation of an Experience-Based Measure of Household Food Insecurity within and across Seasons in Northern Burkina Faso J. Nutr., May 1, 2006; 136(5): 1409S - 1419S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Coates, P. E. Wilde, P. Webb, B. L. Rogers, and R. F. Houser Comparison of a Qualitative and a Quantitative Approach to Developing a Household Food Insecurity Scale for Bangladesh J. Nutr., May 1, 2006; 136(5): 1420S - 1430S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. Coates, E. A. Frongillo, B. L. Rogers, P. Webb, P. E. Wilde, and R. Houser Commonalities in the Experience of Household Food Insecurity across Cultures: What Are Measures Missing? J. Nutr., May 1, 2006; 136(5): 1438S - 1448S. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. R. Sharkey Longitudinal Examination of Homebound Older Adults Who Experience Heightened Food Insufficiency: Effect of Diabetes Status and Implications for Service Provision Gerontologist, December 1, 2005; 45(6): 773 - 782. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. R. Sharkey and N. E. Schoenberg Prospective Study of Black-White Differences in Food Insufficiency Among Homebound Elders J Aging Health, August 1, 2005; 17(4): 507 - 527. [Abstract] [PDF]