Food insecurity among older adult Asian Americans: concerning trends
Lilly Nhan1, Lisa G Rosas2,3, Lan Xiao2
1Department of Community Health Sciences, Fielding School of Public Health, University of California, Los Angeles, CA90095, USA.
Objective:
Little is known about food insecurity in Asian Americans (AA). We examined age/ethnic subgroup differences in food insecurity among AA in California.
Design:
We examined associations between food insecurity and socio-demographic characteristics among AA (Chinese, Filipino, Korean, and Vietnamese) using the χ2 test. Rolling averages were calculated to examine food insecurity trends.
Setting:
California.
Participants:
We used data from the California Health Interview Survey (2011-2018) for AA categorised by age (18-39, 40-59 and 60+ years).
Results:
Food insecurity prevalence varied by subgroup, with the highest observed in older adult (aged 60+ years) Vietnamese (26 %). Between 2011-2014 and 2015-2018, food insecurity prevalence increased 20-45 % across older adults, but showed a decreasing trend among younger adults. Being foreign born and speaking a language other than English at home were associated with increased food insecurity.
Conclusions:
Community-engaged research to develop culturally appropriate strategies for mitigating food insecurity among older AA is warranted.
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