In-home nutritional assessment of inner-city elderly

Aims of this research have been to obtain aggregate data on reported problems in food access that are experienced by homebound, inner-city elderly; to disaggregate the data to show which subgroups of elderly are at highest risk for these types of food insecurity; and to assess whether these elderly differ socioeconomically, medically, or nutritionally from homebound elderly who report that they eat regularly. Instruments were designed to measure population-based food insecurity and to ask respondents to provide information about their socioeconomic status and disabilities as well as the extent to which they have formal or informal assistance in obtaining food. The need to collect this information has been linked to a state-wide effort to target city nutritionally needy elderly for home-delivered meals. Findings have been that food insecurity in the inner-city homebound is linked to loss of mobility as well as to poverty and lack of in-home food assistance. Minority elderly whose questionnaire responses indicate food insecurity include diabetics whose disease control is adversely affected by irregular eating. When methods of home assessment have been used to examine the extent to which a home-delivered meals program meets the nutritional needs of recipients, it has been possible to demonstrate that meals recipients show less food insecurity than a comparison group on waiting lists to receive meals.