Food Insecurity, Physical Activity, and Sedentary Behavior in Middle to Older Adults

Purpose: The present study investigates the associations between food insecurity, physical activity, and sedentary behavior in individuals aged 55 years and older from five low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Methods: The data were provided by 16,454 adults aged 55 and older who participated in the Global Aging and Adult Health Survey. Food insecurity was assessed based on participants' self-reported questionnaire measures. Physical activity and sedentary behavior were assessed using the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire, and adherence to the recommended guidelines was categorized accordingly. We used a multivariable logistic regression model to examine the associations between food insecurity, physical activity, and sedentary behavior, adjusting for demographic and lifestyle factors. Results: The results revealed that food insecurity was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of meeting physical activity (OR = 0.73, 95% CI: 0.64-0.83) and sedentary behavior recommendations (OR = 0.70, 95% CI: 0.59-0.83). Stratified analysis showed that food insecurity had a stronger impact on these behaviors among females than males. Females with food insecurity were less likely to meet all movement behavior recommendations, highlighting gender-specific challenges. Conclusions: The findings showed that food insecurity was significantly associated with lower adherence to both physical activity and sedentary behavior recommendations among middle-aged and older adults in LMICs. In these settings, females with food insecurity showed more consistent and significant associations than males. Future longitudinal studies should be conducted to systematically examine whether an enhancement of food security causes continuous changes in movement behaviors.