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Symposium

Social Research, Policy, and Practice

Advancing Food Equity Among Older Adults and Adults With Disabilities in the US

Wednesday, November 8, 2023
2:30 PM – 4:00 PM ET
Location: Room 123

Older adults and adults with disabilities face challenges related to food insecurity, defined as limited or uncertain access to adequate food due to economic and social conditions. Adults with disabilities have triple the risk of food insecurity than their peers and rates of food insecurity have been rising over the past two decades among older adults and food insecurity is known to be a risk factor for numerous adverse health outcomes. Despite knowledge of disparities, research is needed to identify and test strategies for addressing food insecurity disparities. This symposium will examine mechanisms that may contribute to food insecurity, including local food environments, vision impairment and access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which is the largest food assistance program in the U.S.. National data is used in all three studies to allow population-based inferences to be drawn from study findings. Results have potential to inform our understanding of food equity and advance data-driven policy and programmatic decisions.

Learning Objectives:

  • Understand the role of food environments in relation to cognitive health and cognitive decline among older adults
  • Understand disparities in food insecurity based on vision impairment
  • Understand the role of access to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program with regard to disability-based disparities in food insecurity

Presentations:

  • 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM ET
    The Relevance of SNAP Program Accessibility for Food Insecurity, Focusing on Adults With Disabilities

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Laura J. Samuel, PhD, RN (she/her/hers) – Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing

  • 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM ET
    Food Desert Residence and Cognitive Trajectories in US Older Population Aged 65 and Older

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Boeun Kim, PhD, MPH, MSN, RN – Johns Hopkins University

  • 2:30 PM – 4:00 PM ET
    Vision Loss and Food Insecurity in the National Health and Aging Trends Study

    Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Louay Almidani, MD, MSc – Wilmer Eye Institute