Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion and Population Health

Population Health Research Brief Series

Budget Tradeoffs Shape Food Insecurity Among U.S. Older Adults

Madonna Harrington Meyer and Colleen M. Heflin

September 2025

Madonna Harrington Meyer

Colleen Heflin

Public Administration & International Affairs Department

Sociology Department

Center for Aging and Policy Studies

Lerner Center Population Health Research Brief Series

United States

Portrait of a smiling person with short gray hair, wearing a blue ruffled shirt, set against a blurred green background.

Madonna Harrington Meyer

Colleen Heflin

Abstract

For low-income older adults, it may be difficult to meet basic needs on a fixed monthly income. Stretching resources can be difficult, especially if unexpected expenses arise, leading many older adults to face difficult budget tradeoffs.

Based on the book, Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adults Food Insecurity, this brief summarizes how budget tradeoffs between food and other essential expenses—housing, utilities, medical care, transportation, and personal and cleaning supplies—shape food insecurity among older adults.

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