Food deprivation and cognitive function among adults 55+ in the United States and India

The growing prevalence of dementia is a significant public health concern in the context of dramatic population aging worldwide. Nutrition is related to cognitive outcomes over the life course and dementia risk. This study examines the cognitive consequences of perceived food deprivation in the United States and India. A novel harmonized data set was developed to evaluate differences in the cognitive consequences of perceived food deprivation using data drawn from the U.S. Health and Retirement Study (HRS) and the Longitudinal Aging Study in India (LASI). OLS regression was used to evaluate the association between three domains of cognitive function and perceived food deprivation and to examine whether these effects are dependent on country context. Results show significant cognitive consequences across all three cognitive domains in association with perceived food deprivation, but based on moderation analyses, these effects are significant only among food-deprived individuals in the United States who have approximately one-third of a standard deviation lower cognitive function than their non-food-deprived counterparts (p < .001). Future research is needed to identify mechanisms of these effects and identify specific food policies that could reduce cognitive risks related to perceived food deprivation in the United States.