The dynamic nature of poverty and food insecurity among older adults: Evidence from the health and retirement study

Using data from the Health and Retirement Study, this paper examines the dynamics of food insecurity for older adults over the past two decades and how it relates to different poverty measures. The results show that the Supplemental Poverty Measure predicts the likelihood of food insecurity better than the official poverty measure. Although there is no evidence that the impact of poverty on food insecurity declines with age, we find that the discrepancy between food insecurity and poverty is greater for more recent cohorts. Beyond poverty, various demographic, economic, and health characteristics also determine food insecurity among older adults.