Older adults, who are less healthy, are hit hardest by rising food costs

Older adults, who are less healthy, are hit hardest by rising food costs

Three-quarters of people over 50 in the United States say rising food prices have affected them somewhat or greatly, and nearly a third say they are eating less healthily because of rising food costs, according to new survey results.

However, according to the survey, food cost inflation has hit certain groups of older adults harder — particularly those who rate their physical or mental health as fair or poor, as well as those from lower-income households or with fewer years of formal education.

The new findings come from a nationwide survey conducted in late July by the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging at the UM Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation.

For our most vulnerable older adults, the huge increase in food costs could make the dire situation worse. As the White House convenes its conference on hunger, nutrition and health this week, these new findings suggest that better support for the food needs of adults over 50 is needed.”

Preeti Malani, survey leader and physician at Michigan Medicine, the U-M Academic Medical Center

Michigan Medicine and AARP support the National Poll on Healthy Aging.

Rising food costs and food insecurity

More than a third of people aged 50 to 80 say rising food prices have had a major impact on them, with 41% of those aged 50 to early 60s saying this, compared to 30% of those aged 65 to 80.

Overall, the percentages reporting this were higher among those who rated their physical health as fair or poor (46%), those who rated their mental health as fair or poor (58%), and those with a household income of less than $30,000 (56%). those who have a high school diploma or less (48%).

Inflation directly affects what foods older people buy. More than a third (36%) of those aged 50 to 64 said their diet was becoming less healthy due to rising costs, compared to 24% of those aged 65 to 80.

Across the survey population, the percentages who reported eating less healthily because of cost were higher among those who rated their mental health as fair or poor (54%), among those with a household income under $30,000 (48%), and among those who rated their mental health as fair or poor (48%). Physical health is rated as fair or poor (46%) and those with a high school diploma or less (40%).

Respondents also answered questions asking them to look back over the past 12 months and say whether two statements about their household were often true, sometimes true or never true. Overall, 4% of older adults said it is often true that they fear their food will run out before they have money to buy more, and 15% said it is sometimes true. Meanwhile, just under 4% said this had actually happened to them often, and a further 12% said it had happened to them sometimes in the past 12 months.

These food insecurity experiences were more common among people whose physical or mental health was fair or poor and among people with incomes under $30,000. Those who live alone were also more likely to report running out of food before they had money to buy more.

Respondents who had experienced food insecurity in the past 12 months were three times more likely to say they now eat less healthily due to increased food costs than those who had not experienced food insecurity (66% vs. 22%). ).

U.S. Department of Agriculture data shows food costs rose 13% from July 2021 to July 2022 and predicts another 10% increase in 2023.

The AARP Policy Institute recently released a report showing that in 2018, the majority of adults over 50 whose income qualified them for federal food assistance under the SNAP program were not enrolled. The AARP Foundation offers assistance in understanding and applying for SNAP benefits.

Eating habits and body weight

About a third (32%) of adults ages 50 to 64 say they eat a balanced diet, compared to 44% of those ages 65 to 80. Those with a college degree were significantly more likely to say their diet was healthy. more balanced than those whose formal education ended with a high school diploma or less (48% vs. 28%). Among older adults who say their physical or mental health is fair or poor, the share of respondents who describe their diet as balanced was even lower: 23% and 16%, respectively.

The survey also asked adults about their fruit and vegetable consumption. Overall, 38% agreed that they don't eat enough fruits and vegetables, but the percentage who said this was much higher among those with fair or poor physical health (51%) or fair or poor mental health (56%). .

People who said they didn't eat enough fruits and vegetables were more likely to say their diets had become less healthy due to rising costs than those who said they were eating enough fruits and vegetables (40% vs. 26%).

In another question about eating habits, 29% of older adults said they eat too many sweets — but a much larger percentage saying the same was found among those with a high school degree or less (34%) or incomes under $30,000 (34%) who described their physical health as fair or poor (39%) and those who described their mental health as fair or poor (49%).

Likewise, 19% of all respondents agreed that they do not consume enough vitamins and minerals. The percentage was higher among those with incomes of less than $30,000 (25%) and those who reported doing well or poorly physically (30%) or mentally (33%).

When asked about their weight, 39% of the entire sample said they were slightly overweight, 29% said they were overweight, while 25% said they were about the right weight and 7% said they were underweight. The proportion of respondents reporting being overweight was higher among those reporting good or poor physical health (47%), good or poor mental health (37%), or income under $30,000 (37%). The proportion who reported being underweight was highest among those with incomes under $30,000, at 13%.

This is the second time the National Poll on Healthy Aging has asked about nutrition-related concerns among older adults. In December 2019, 14% of 50- to 80-year-olds who responded to the survey said their household had suffered from food insecurity in the past year, and 42% of those respondents said they or those they lived with had experienced a reduction in the quality and amount of food they purchased due to limited resources. The survey also reported on older adults' experiences with cooking at home and eating out.

The survey report is based on results of a nationally representative survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago for IHPI and conducted online and by telephone in July 2022 among 2,163 adults ages 50 to 80. The sample was then weighted to reflect the US population.

Source:

University of Michigan