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Contributing Factors to Food Insecurity for Older Adults Living in Tarrant County
Miller, Josie
Miller, Josie
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2024-05-19
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Abstract
In 2022, 9.1% of households with adults aged 65 or older were food insecure at some point during the year. A cross sectional descriptive design study evaluated current factors contributing to food insecurity (FI) among older adults living in vulnerable areas in Tarrant County, Texas. Research sites were identified using demographic information collected from US Census Bureau public data repositories and included household income, percent with a disability, percent without a car, age >65 years, percent >65 years with a disability, and percent >65 years in poverty. Meals On Wheels (MOW) of Tarrant County administration identified three at- risk community sites, which were Southside Community Center in Fort Worth (site 1), Bedford YMCA in Bedford (site 2), and Magnolia Apartments in Arlington (site 3). Following IRB approval, researchers interviewed 48 older adults at these sites. Quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed using SPSS and NVivo, respectively. Participants were 74.1+/-7.7 years of age with a range of 61-93 years. Over 83% (n=40) were female, while 16.7% (n=8) were male. Participants were 58.3% (n=28) White, 33.3% (n=16) Black/African American, and 6.3% (n=3) Asian. Over 29% (n=14) of participants identified as Hispanic. Participants (36.2%, n=17) agreed that ?Most older people I know are able to afford enough food to eat? and (66.7%, n=32) reported causes of FI related to finances including low income, loss or lack of jobs, inflation, lack of or limited government assistance. Participants at sites 1 and 2 reported that raising awareness is most needed, while those at site 3 reported that food was most needed to help older adults with FI. Knowing FI causes and barriers to resources informs the development of tailored solutions to improve the quality of life for older adults in these areas.