Food insecurity and cognitive domains among older United States adults: Findings from the health and retirement study.

INTRODUCTION

The number of cases of Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD) is expected to triple in the United States in the next three decades. Food insecurity may be a risk factor for cognitive decline. However, studies exploring the relationship between food insecurity and individual cognitive domains within the United States remain limited.

METHODS

Data came from 1410 participants from the nationally representative Health and Retirement Study. Food insecurity was assessed in 2013, and cognition was assessed using the Harmonized Cognitive Assessment Protocol in 2016.

RESULTS

The prevalence of food insecurity was 13.1%. After adjusting for all covariates, food insecurity was inversely associated with executive functioning (β = -1.47, 95% CI -2.65, -0.28) but not significantly associated with memory, language, visuospatial functioning, or orientation.

DISCUSSION

Further research is needed to understand how food insecurity may influence executive function over time and to explore potential underlying mechanisms for this association.

HIGHLIGHTS

After adjusting for age and sex with Bonferroni correction, food insecurity was inversely associated with scores on three of the five cognitive domains: memory (β = -2.67 95% CI -4.41, -0.94); executive functioning (β = -3.50 95% CI -4.62, -2.37); visuospatial (β = -3.18 95% CI -6.13, -0.24. After additional adjustment for other covariates, the inverse association between food insecurity and executive functioning remained statistically significant (β = -1.47 95% CI -2.65, -0.28). Other associations were attenuated and lost statistical significance.