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Associations of food insecurity with body mass index among baby boomers and older adults

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Abstract

Increasing obesity levels portend a challenging societal healthcare issue, while the current economic crisis may foster food insecurity, characterized by limited or uncertain access to adequate food. This study examines associations among food insecurity, meeting recommendations for dietary and physical activity patterns, and body mass index (BMI) among baby boomers and older adults completing the 2010 Brazos Valley Health Survey. Subjects included 2,985 respondents (1,589 baby boomers and 1,396 older adults). Thirty-six percent of participants were obese while 15 % of participants were food insecure. Approximately 8 % of baby boomers and older adults were both food insecure and obese. Among all study participants, an increased BMI was more common among those who were ethnic minorities and had depression. An increased BMI was less common among those who met fruit/vegetable intake and physical activity recommendations. There was a positive association between food insecurity and BMI only among baby boomer and older adult females. A combined emphasis on availability of healthy foods and increased opportunities for meeting physical activity guidelines can help to counter the food insecurity-obesity connection among both baby boomer and older adult females.

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The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interests with respect to their authorship or the publication of this article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Health Systems Management and Policy, School of Public Health, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, 38152-3530, USA

    SangNam Ahn & Mark Hendricks

  2. Department of Health Promotion and Behavior, The University of Georgia, College of Public Health, Athens, GA, USA

    Matthew Lee Smith

  3. Department of Health Promotion and Community Health Sciences, Texas A&M Health Science Center, School of Public Health, College Station, TX, USA

    SangNam Ahn, Matthew Lee Smith & Marcia G. Ory

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Ahn, S., Smith, M.L., Hendricks, M. et al. Associations of food insecurity with body mass index among baby boomers and older adults. Food Sec. 6, 423–433 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12571-014-0344-6

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