Date of Award

2021-08-01

Degree Name

Master of Arts

Department

Sociology

Advisor(s)

Danielle X. Morales

Abstract

Past research has shown that food insecurity rates among the elderly have significantly increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, there are yet to be peer-reviewed articles that specifically address food insecurity among the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This cross-sectional study utilized a nationally representative sample (50 states and the District of Columbia, n = 29,779) using data derived from the Household Pulse Survey (HPS). One generalized estimating equation (GEE) was estimated along with bivariate analyses. The GEE revealed that Hispanics, Asians, and those who identified as other race were significantly more likely to be food insecure in comparison to White households. However, there was no significant difference in food insecurity between Black and White households. The bivariate analyses demonstrated that among food insecure households, Hispanics and Asians were more likely to report that they were too afraid or did not want to go out to buy food. Likewise, Hispanics and Asians were also more likely to report that they were impacted by reduced transportation. Meanwhile, Hispanics and Blacks were more likely to report that they could not afford to buy more food and those who were of other race were more likely to face food delivery issues. Likewise, food insecure Whites were more likely to report that they were food insecure because the stores did not have the food they wanted. Policymakers must develop strategies that help decrease food insecurity and are tailored toward the elderly community, especially minorities so that the effects of the pandemic do not create larger disparities than those that already existed before the pandemic.

Language

en

Provenance

Received from ProQuest

File Size

47 p.

File Format

application/pdf

Rights Holder

Stephanie Alexandra Morales

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Sociology Commons

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