Financial difficulty in acquiring food among elderly disabled women: Results from the women's health and aging study

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.