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Late-life food insecurity and cognition: exploring timing, duration, and mechanisms among older Mexican adults
Joseph L Saenz, Jaqueline Avila. BMC Geriatrics, 2023-11-30
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Approximately half of the sample were persistently food secure, 17% became food secure, 14% became FI, and 15% experienced persistent FI. When adjusting for demographic/socioeconomic confounders, persistent FI related with worse Verbal Learning, Verbal Recall, Visual Scanning, and Verbal Fluency performance compared to the persistently food secure. Becoming FI related with worse Verbal Learning, Visual Scanning, and Verbal Fluency. Mediation analyses provided support for depressive symptoms mediating associations between FI and poorer cognition, where 48% of the association between persistent FI and worse Verbal Recall performance was attributed to higher depressive symptoms. Becoming food secure was not associated with cognitive performance compared to the persistently food secure. FI may represent an important modifiable risk factor for poorer cognitive outcomes among older adults. Public health efforts should focus on providing stable food access to older adults, especially those living in poverty.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Saenz, J. L., & Avila, J. (2023). Late-life food insecurity and cognition: exploring timing, duration, and mechanisms among older Mexican adults. BMC Geriatrics. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-04497-7
Vancouver
Saenz JL, Avila J. Late-life food insecurity and cognition: exploring timing, duration, and mechanisms among older Mexican adults. BMC Geriatrics. 2023. doi:10.1186/s12877-023-04497-7. PMID: 38036962.
BibTeX
@article{saenz2023-38036962,
author = {Saenz, Joseph L and Avila, Jaqueline},
title = {{Late-life food insecurity and cognition: exploring timing, duration, and mechanisms among older Mexican adults}},
journal = {BMC Geriatrics},
year = {2023},
doi = {10.1186/s12877-023-04497-7},
pmid = {38036962},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-023-04497-7}
}
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Key findings
- Approximately half of the sample were persistently food secure, 17% became food secure, 14% became FI, and 15% experienced persistent FI.
- When adjusting for demographic/socioeconomic confounders, persistent FI related with worse Verbal Learning, Verbal Recall, Visual Scanning, and Verbal Fluency performance compared to the persistently food secure.
- Becoming FI related with worse Verbal Learning, Visual Scanning, and Verbal Fluency.
- Mediation analyses provided support for depressive symptoms mediating associations between FI and poorer cognition, where 48% of the association between persistent FI and worse Verbal Recall performance was attributed to higher depressive symptoms.
- Becoming food secure was not associated with cognitive performance compared to the persistently food secure.
Why it matters
This study found that persistent food insecurity was linked to worse performance on several thinking tests, and that depressive symptoms partly explained the link to poorer verbal recall. It suggests stable food access may be a modifiable factor for cognitive outcomes, but it does not test a treatment or cure for Alzheimer's disease.
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Study details
- Participants9,654
- Evidence strengthLow
How this study scored 43/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal. Scored zero for study design, effect reported and randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (BMC Geriatrics) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | BMC Geriatrics: journal h-index 153 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 0 / 12 | No study design recorded — scores zero, not guessed (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Strength of evidence | 1 / 5 | Rated “low” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2023 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 9,654 participants |
| Effect reported | 0 / 3 | No effect size reported — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 2 / 7 | Cited 8 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 1 / 5 | 1.6 citations a year over 5 year(s) since 2023 |
| Impact for its field and year | 2 / 6 | Cited 2.5× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 1 / 6 | Cited by 1 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 1 / 4 | Cited 8 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 1 / 4 | Last-listed author Jaqueline Avila: h-index 14 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 1 / 3 | Arizona State University: institution h-index 987 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 38036962) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 43 / 100 | — |
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