Lm. Klesges et al., Financial difficulty in acquiring food among elderly disabled women: Results from the women's health and aging study, AM J PUB HE, 91(1), 2001, pp. 68-75
Citations number
32
Categorie Soggetti
Public Health & Health Care Science","Envirnomentale Medicine & Public Health","Medical Research General Topics
Objectives. This study described the prevalence and characteristics of fina
ncial difficulty acquiring food and its relation to-nutritional biomarkers
in older disabled women.
Methods. Baseline data were analyzed from the Women's Health and Aging Stud
y, a population-based survey of 1002 Community-dwelling, disabled women 65
years and older from Baltimore, Md.
Results. Minority women (49.5%) were-more likely than White women (13.4%) t
o report financial difficulty acquiring food (odds ratio [OR]=6.2, 95% conf
idence interval [CI]=4.5, 8.6). Of the women reporting financial difficulty
acquiring food only 19.3% received food stamps and fewer than 7% participa
ted in food assistance programs. Women reporting financial difficulty acqui
ring food had higher levels:of psychologic depression than women not report
ing such difficulty. Greater likelihood of financial difficulty acquiring f
ood was associated with poorer quality of life and physical performance amo
ng White women and with more medical conditions among minority women. Final
ly, anemia (hemoglobin< 120 g/L) was associated with financial difficulty a
cquiring food (age-adjusted OR=2.9, 95% CI=1.9, 4.3).
Conclusions. Financial difficulty acquiring food was common, and receipt of
nutritional: services was rare, in community-dwelling, older disabled wome
n. Nutrition assistance programs for the elderly should reexamine their eff
ectiveness in preventing nutritional deficits in older disabled women.