Social Support and Loneliness Among Black and Hispanic Senior Women Experiencing Food Insecurity: The Nurse as Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary Intervention

The impact of social determinants of health (SDOH) is understudied and until recently not a focal point in nursing education. The new Essentials coupled with the impact of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic deem it necessary to address the intersection of SDOH and population health. The impact of COVID 19 disproportionately affects Black and Hispanic families. Couple the disproportionate numbers of COVID 19 among these groups with the growing incidence of food insecurity, and there is a need to explore intersecting links. Emerging research link the lack of social support systems and loneliness to food insecurity. In alignment with addressing competency-based education, it is critical to assess factors such as social support systems and loneliness and the intersection of its effects on such determinants as food insecurity. The article provides an overview for its readers in examining the incidence of food insecurity in older ethnic minority women along with postulated social attributes as contributing factors to the growth rates of food insecurity. The incidence of food insecurity among older ethnic minority women has grown exponentially amid the pandemic. The authors illustrate the role nurses can play in addressing primary, secondary, and tertiary interventions using Neuman’s Theory. The intervention pathways are delineated through the lens of nursing theoretic framework created by Betty Neuman Systems Model.