IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/ssefpa/v14y2022i2d10.1007_s12571-021-01206-3.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Which financial stressors are linked to food insecurity among older adults in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands? An exploratory study

Author

Listed:
  • Cäzilia Loibl

    (The Ohio State University)

  • Wändi Bruine de Bruin

    (University of Southern California)

  • Barbara Summers

    (Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds)

  • Simon McNair

    (Behavioural Insights Team)

  • Pieter Verhallen

    (North Carolina State University)

Abstract

Food insecurity among adults age 65 and older is a growing public policy concern in European countries, but the extent of the problem and the related financial stressors are unclear. The purpose of this paper is to measure the percent of food insecure individuals in a targeted sample of financially fragile older adults, and to identify associated financial stressors and socio-economic characteristics. This exploratory study is based on an online survey of 1,059 older adults experiencing financial hardship. Participants were recruited through commercial consumer panels in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands. The proportion of financially fragile older adults reporting food insecurity ranged from 24% in the British sample, 29% in the German sample, and 35% in the Dutch sample. We identified financial stressors that contributed to food insecurity in each country sample. Having more financial stressors increased the risk of food insecurity, which was similar in each country. Within and across country samples, food insecurity is associated with financial stressors. Insights for policy makers, consumer advocates, and social services point to the value of integrating financial and food-related support services, the potential for cross-country collaboration, and efforts that take into account the particular financial circumstances of older adults.

Suggested Citation

  • Cäzilia Loibl & Wändi Bruine de Bruin & Barbara Summers & Simon McNair & Pieter Verhallen, 2022. "Which financial stressors are linked to food insecurity among older adults in the United Kingdom, Germany, and the Netherlands? An exploratory study," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 14(2), pages 533-556, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:ssefpa:v:14:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s12571-021-01206-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s12571-021-01206-3
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s12571-021-01206-3
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s12571-021-01206-3?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Eric French & Elaine Kelly & Pieter Bakx & Owen O'Donnell & Eddy Doorslaer, 2016. "Spending on Health Care in the Netherlands: Not Going So Dutch," Fiscal Studies, Institute for Fiscal Studies, vol. 37, pages 593-625, September.
    2. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Gregory, Christian A. & Singh, Anita, 2017. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2016," Economic Research Report 291968, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    3. Joanna B. Upton & Jennifer Denno Cissé & Christopher B. Barrett, 2016. "Food security as resilience: reconciling definition and measurement," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 47(S1), pages 135-147, November.
    4. W. Heeringa & A. Bovenberg, 2012. "Generational Impacts of Demographic Changes in Pay-as-you-go Pension Schemes: Measurement and Application to the Netherlands," De Economist, Springer, vol. 160(1), pages 1-16, March.
    5. Juan-José Alonso-Fernandez & Robert Meneu-Gaya & Enrique Devesa-Carpio & Mar Devesa-Carpio & Inmaculada Dominguez-Fabian & Borja Encinas-Goenechea, 2018. "From the Replacement Rate to the Synthetic Indicator: A Global and Gender Measure of Pension Adequacy in the European Union," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 138(1), pages 165-186, July.
    6. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P & Gregory, Christian A & Singh, Anita, 2020. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2019," Economic Research Report 327207, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    7. van Rooij, Maarten C.J. & Lusardi, Annamaria & Alessie, Rob J.M., 2011. "Financial literacy and retirement planning in the Netherlands," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 32(4), pages 593-608, August.
    8. Aaron Yelowitz, 2017. "Local housing costs and basic household needs," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 52(3), pages 901-923, May.
    9. Jae Yeon Park & Arlette Saint Ville & Timothy Schwinghamer & Hugo Melgar-Quiñonez, 2019. "Heterogeneous factors predict food insecurity among the elderly in developed countries: insights from a multi-national analysis of 48 countries," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 11(3), pages 541-552, June.
    10. Lynn McIntyre & Daniel J. Dutton & Cynthia Kwok & J.C. Herbert Emery, 2016. "Reduction of Food Insecurity among Low-Income Canadian Seniors as a Likely Impact of a Guaranteed Annual Income," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 42(3), pages 274-286, September.
    11. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Gregory, Christian A. & Singh, Anita, 2020. "Statistical Supplement to Household Food Security in the United States in 2019," Agricultural Economic Reports 305693, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    12. Niedzwiedz, C.L. & Pell, J.P. & Mitchell, R., 2015. "The relationship between financial distress and life-course socioeconomic inequalities in well-being: Cross-national analysis of European welfare states," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 105(10), pages 2090-2098.
    13. Michael Ziegelmeyer & Julius Nick, 2013. "Backing out of private pension provision: lessons from Germany," Empirica, Springer;Austrian Institute for Economic Research;Austrian Economic Association, vol. 40(3), pages 505-539, August.
    14. Ayton, Peter & Bernile, Gennaro & Bucciol, Alessandro & Zarri, Luca, 2020. "The impact of life experiences on risk taking," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    15. Anita Borch & Unni Kjærnes, 2016. "The Prevalence and Risk of Food Insecurity in the Nordic Region: Preliminary Results," Journal of Consumer Policy, Springer, vol. 39(2), pages 261-274, June.
    16. Disney, Richard, 2016. "Pension reform in the United Kingdom: an economic perspective," National Institute Economic Review, National Institute of Economic and Social Research, vol. 237, pages 6-12, August.
    17. Barrafrem, Kinga & Västfjäll, Daniel & Tinghög, Gustav, 2021. "The arithmetic of outcome editing in financial and social domains," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 86(C).
    18. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P. & Gregory, Christian A. & Singh, Anita, 2019. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2018," Economic Research Report 301167, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P & Gregory, Christian A & Singh, Anita, 2020. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2019," Economic Research Report 327207, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    2. Agnieszka Poczta-Wajda & Agnieszka Sapa & Sebastian Stępień & Michał Borychowski, 2020. "Food Insecurity among Small-Scale Farmers in Poland," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-24, July.
    3. Amier Haidar & Christine Markham & Allison Marshall & Ru-Jye Chuang & Meredith Spence & Jennifer Boone & Mike Pomeroy & Rich Dachman & Jaimie N. Davis & Shreela V. Sharma, 2021. "Innovative Partnerships to Address Food Insecurity during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Brighter Bites Produce Voucher Program," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-10, August.
    4. Brandon J. Restrepo & Matthew P. Rabbitt & Christian A. Gregory, 2021. "The Effect of Unemployment on Food Spending and Adequacy: Evidence from Coronavirus‐Induced Firm Closures," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 43(1), pages 185-204, March.
    5. Kristin F. Butcher & Lucie Schmidt & Lara Shore‐Sheppard & Tara Watson, 2023. "Living with children and food insecurity in seniors," Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 45(1), pages 234-261, March.
    6. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P & Gregory, Christian A & Singh, Anita, 2021. "Household Food Security in the United States in 2020," Economic Research Report 327186, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    7. Drieda Zaҫe & Maria Luisa Di Pietro & Laura Reali & Chiara de Waure & Walter Ricciardi, 2021. "Prevalence, socio-economic predictors and health correlates of food insecurity among Italian children- findings from a cross-sectional study," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 13(1), pages 13-24, February.
    8. Christine Borger & Courtney Paolicelli & Lorrene Ritchie & Shannon E. Whaley & Jill DeMatteis & Brenda Sun & Thea Palmer Zimmerman & Amanda Reat & Sujata Dixit-Joshi, 2021. "Shifts in Sources of Food but Stable Nutritional Outcomes among Children in the Early Months of the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-14, November.
    9. Colleen Heflin & Xiaohan Sun, 2022. "Food Insecurity and the Opioid Crisis," The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, , vol. 703(1), pages 262-284, September.
    10. Melissa Keresztes & Colleen L. Delaney & Carol Byrd-Bredbenner, 2022. "Maternal Mental Health Status Is Associated with Weight-Related Parenting Cognitions, Home Food Environment Characteristics, and Children’s Behaviors," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-17, October.
    11. Adam M. Lippert & Barrett A. Lee, 2021. "Adult and Child Food Insecurity Among Homeless and Precariously-Housed Families at the Close of the Twentieth Century," Population Research and Policy Review, Springer;Southern Demographic Association (SDA), vol. 40(2), pages 231-253, April.
    12. Musa, Anne O. & Carpio, Carlos E. & Williams, Ryan Blake, 2020. "Bounding the Effect of Joint Participation in SNAP and Private Food Charities on Food Security," 2020 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, Kansas City, Missouri 304614, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    13. Denise Holston & Jessica Stroope & Matthew Greene & Bailey Houghtaling, 2020. "Perceptions of the Food Environment and Access among Predominantly Black Low-Income Residents of Rural Louisiana Communities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-14, July.
    14. Elena Carrillo-Álvarez & Blanca Salinas-Roca & Lluís Costa-Tutusaus & Raimon Milà-Villarroel & Nithya Shankar Krishnan, 2021. "The Measurement of Food Insecurity in High-Income Countries: A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(18), pages 1-57, September.
    15. Coleman-Jensen, Alisha & Rabbitt, Matthew P & Gregory, Christian A & Singh, Anita, 2021. "Statistical Supplement to Household Food Security in the United States in 2020," Administrative Publications 327344, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    16. Ivory H. Loh & Vanessa M. Oddo & Jennifer Otten, 2020. "Food Insecurity Is Associated with Depression among a Vulnerable Workforce: Early Care and Education Workers," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(1), pages 1-13, December.
    17. Lauren A. Clay & Stephanie Rogus, 2021. "Impact of Employment, Essential Work, and Risk Factors on Food Access during the COVID-19 Pandemic in New York State," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(4), pages 1-12, February.
    18. Alycia Santilli & Anna Lin-Schweitzer & Sofia I. Morales & Steve Werlin & Kim Hart & James Cramer & Jason A. Martinez & Kathleen O’Connor Duffany, 2022. "Coalition Building and Food Insecurity: How an Equity and Justice Framework Guided a Viable Food Assistance Network," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-14, September.
    19. Jin E. Kim-Mozeleski & Susan J. Shaw & Irene H. Yen & Janice Y. Tsoh, 2022. "A Qualitative Investigation of the Experiences of Tobacco Use among U.S. Adults with Food Insecurity," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(12), pages 1-13, June.
    20. Nadine Budd Nugent & Carmen Byker Shanks & Hilary K. Seligman & Hollyanne Fricke & Courtney A. Parks & Sarah Stotz & Amy L. Yaroch, 2021. "Accelerating Evaluation of Financial Incentives for Fruits and Vegetables: A Case for Shared Measures," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-16, November.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:ssefpa:v:14:y:2022:i:2:d:10.1007_s12571-021-01206-3. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.