The relationships between food security/nutritional risk, the physical and social environment, and cognition

Food security is a growing concern in Canada. Food insecurity can lead to undernutrition and increased stress. Neighborhoods that have low access to healthy foods are termed “food deserts”. Food insecurity in Canada is associated with low-income and is a concern among older adults, especially those living alone, as they often have fewer financial resources. Food insecurity is also a major concern for older adults because good nutrition is especially important as we age, and as we get older it can become more difficult to achieve adequate nutritional intake, due to illness, reduced taste, or reduced interest in cooking or ability to cook. Food insecurity exacerbates this. Our objective is to understand the association between social participation, food insecurity and nutritional risk among older adults. We are also interested in the relationship between food insecurity/nutritional risk and cognition, to better understand the impacts of food insecurity.