Food Insecurity and Health Outcomes Among Older Adults: The Role of Cost-Related Medication Underuse

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between food security and cost-related medication underuse among older adults (persons aged 65 years and older) in the United States; and to determine if this relationship differs by sex, chronic disease status, and type of health insurance. Data are from a combined sample of older adults in the 2011 and 2012 National Health Interview Survey (N = 10,401). Both bivariate and multivariate analyses show a dose-response relationship between food insecurity and cost-related medication underuse among the elderly--increasing likelihood of cost-related medication underuse with increasing severity of food insecurity (P < 0.001). This association is not conditional on sex, chronic disease status, or type of health insurance. However, females and those with a chronic condition are more likely to report cost-related medication underuse than males and those without a chronic condition respectively; and older adults with Medicare and Medicaid or other public insurance are less likely to report cost-related medication underuse than older adults with only Medicare.