ArticleThe Journal of nutrition2019
Food Insecurity Is Associated with Lower Cognitive Functioning in a National Sample of Older Adults.
Article in The Journal of nutrition, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 48 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
48 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 79 citations in OpenAlex.
- Interventions to reduce social isolation and food insecurity in older adults: a systematic review.Frontiers in nutrition · 2025Pooled it
- The impact of food insecurity on mental health among older adults residing in low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- Food insecurity, social isolation, and intrinsic capacity: An age-stratified analysis of US adults.The journal of nutrition, health & aging · 2026Article
- Associations between mid-life and later-life food insecurity on probable dementia in a national sample of United States adults.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2026Article
- Longitudinal food insecurity patterns and cognitive performance among midlife Latina women: Findings from the CHAMACOS Maternal Cognition Study.Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2026Article
- Socioeconomic disparities and nutritional aging: how food insecurity and financial hardship accelerate health decline in older adults.Frontiers in nutrition · 2026Review
- Association Between Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Participation and Cognitive Decline Among Older Americans: A 10-Year Longitudinal Study.Journal of the American Geriatrics Society · 2025Article
- Associations between cross-sectional and long-term food insecurity with dietary quality among middle-aged and older US adults: A Cohort Study from the Health and Retirement Study.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2025Article
- Food Insecurity and Risk of Dementia and Cognitive Impairment With No Dementia in US Older Adults.JAMA network open · 2025Article
- Food insecurity and cognitive domains among older United States adults: Findings from the health and retirement study.Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2025Article
- Relationship between social determinants of health and cognitive performance in an older American population: a cross-sectional NHANES study.BMC geriatrics · 2025Article
- Mid-Life Household Food Insecurity and Subsequent Memory Function and Rate of Decline in Rural South Africa, 2004-2022.Neuroepidemiology · 2025Article
- Food Insecurity and Dementia Risk in U.S. Older Adults: Evidence From the 2013-2021 Panel Study of Income Dynamics.The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences · 2024Article
- Review
- Food insecurity, inflammation, and immune function among older US adults: Findings from the health and Retirement study.Brain, behavior, and immunity · 2024Article
- My Parent, Myself, or My Child: Whose Education Matters Most for Trajectories of Cognitive Aging in Middle Age?American journal of epidemiology · 2024Article
- Food insecurity and academic performance in Spanish adolescents: Results from the EHDLA study.Heliyon · 2024Article
- Trends in Recurring and Chronic Food Insecurity Among US Families With Older Adults.JAMA health forum · 2024Article
- Food Insecurity, Race and Ethnicity, and Cognitive Function Among United States Older Adults.The Journal of nutrition · 2024Article
- Impact of food insecurity on cognitive health in older adults: insights from the NHANES 2011-2014 data.Frontiers in nutrition · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundFood insecurity, a social and economic condition of inadequate food resources, is known to affect cognitive development in children. However, research is sparse among adult populations, particularly older adults who may be more susceptible to accelerated cognitive decline.
objectiveThe aim of this study was to examine the associations between food insecurity and cognitive functioning among older adults.
methodsData came from 1823 older adults (≥60 y) with incomes ≤300% of the federal poverty level (FPL) from the 2011-2014 NHANES. Food security was measured using the 10-item Adult Food Security Survey Module. Cognitive function was measured using the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD) word learning subtest and delayed word recall, the Animal Fluency Test (AFT), and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST). The cognitive assessments were then standardized and an overall cognitive function z score was created by averaging across all cognitive assessments. Associations with food insecurity were examined using multivariate linear regression models, adjusting for sociodemographic and health characteristics.
resultsIn the analytic population, the prevalence of food insecurity was 23.7%. Across all cognitive assessments, the mean scores among food-insecure adults was significantly lower than the mean scores among food-secure adults. After adjusting for sociodemographic and health characteristics, food insecurity was associated with lower scores on the CERAD word learning subtest (β = -0.14, 95% CI: -0.26, -0.01), the AFT (β = -0.13, 95% CI: -0.25, -0.002), and the DSST (β = -0.24, 95% CI: -0.33, -0.15). Food insecurity was also associated with a lower score on the overall cognitive function z score (β = -0.15, 95% CI: -0.26, -0.05).
conclusionsIn this national sample of 1823 adults aged ≥60 y, food insecurity was inversely associated with cognitive function, which may translate into higher risk of cognitive impairment over time.
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