Food Insecurity, Disability and Age

BACKGROUND: Food insecurity is a growing public health concern. Disabled people are at higher risk of food insecurity than non-disabled people. Evidence suggests this diminishes for older people. We examine how the relationship between disability and food insecurity varies at different ages and explore the extent to which socio-economic factors account for and modify the relationship. METHODS: Data came from the fourth and fifth waves of the UK's Food Standards Agency's Food and You survey (n = 6,187), which contain data on disability and household food insecurity. We explored predicted probabilities of food insecurity from logistic regression models between disabled and non-disabled people for 10-year age cohorts. Stratified analyses, further explored differences in vulnerability to food insecurity at working age and 65+. RESULTS: Predicted probability of food insecurity for disabled people declined with age, as did the gap in risk between disabled and non-disabled people. The predicted probability of food insecurity among disabled people under 65 was 23% (95% CI: 19%-27%), whereas for disabled people 65+, it was 5% (95% CI: 3%-7%). Among people of working age, socio-economic factors explained some, but not all, of the increased risk of food insecurity associated with disability. Disabled people in full-time work were still significantly more likely to be food insecure than non-disabled people in work: 15% (95% CI: 11%-20%) vs 8 % (95% CI: 6%-9%) respectively. Among older adults, disabled people with savings were not at significantly higher risk of food insecurity, whereas those without savings were: 0.4% (95% CI: 0.4%-1%) vs 5% (95% CI: 3%-7%), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Findings indicate the increased risk of food insecurity for disabled people is partially explained by socio-economic factors. However, there is a need for further research to explain unobserved risk factors for food insecurity among disabled people of working age especially. KEY MESSAGES: • Socioeconomic factors play an important role in disabled people's increased risk of food insecurity. • Observed socioeconomic factors alone do not fully explain increased risk of food insecurity among working age disabled people. More research is needed.