ArticleThe journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences2024
A Lack of Food for Thought: Midlife Food Insecurity and Its Association With Subsequent Cognitive Ability of Older Americans.
Article in The journals of gerontology. Series B, Psychological sciences and social sciences, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.
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Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed.
- Midlife Vulnerability and Food Insecurity in Women: Increased Risk of Mental Health Concerns.Nutrients · 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
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1 author.
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Abstract
objectivesThe 50-59 age group in the United States experience higher levels of food insecurity (FI) compared to older adults. While previous research has identified an association between FI and cognition outcomes in older populations, limited research has examined midlife as a specific FI exposure window and the association of this hardship with long-run cognition outcomes.
methodsUtilizing 14 waves of Health and Retirement Study (HRS) data (1995-2020), I applied mixed-effects models to assess the relationship between midlife FI exposure and later-life cognitive function, controlling for childhood disadvantages and other health-related and sociodemographic characteristics.
resultsFindings indicate that both cumulative FI duration and ever experiencing FI during ages 50-59 are significantly associated with subsequent cognitive decline. Specifically, ever experiencing FI during midlife was linked to a decrease in cognitive function by 0.07 standard units (95% confidence interval [CI], -0.13 to -0.003; p < .05). In addition, each additional year of FI exposure during midlife was associated with a reduction in cognitive function by 0.01 standard units (95% CI: -0.03 to -0.003; p < .05). These associations remained robust even after accounting for a range of potential confounders and covariates. DISCUSSION: The findings support the cumulative inequality model, suggesting that midlife FI is a significant predictor of lower cognitive function in later life. Both the timing and extent of FI during midlife are crucial factors in shaping cognitive health outcomes. Policy interventions targeting FI in the 50-59 age group could play a pivotal role in promoting healthy aging and mitigating cognitive decline in older adulthood.
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