title: Frailty and food insecurity in older adults.
abstract: The objective of the current work was to determine the association between food insecurity and frailty in older adults, within the context of a country with accelerated ageing and nutritional problems.
  
  
  
  Cross-sectional analysis of a representative nationwide survey on health and nutrition.
  
  
  
  Mexican nationwide survey.
  
  
  
  A sample of 7108 adults aged 60 years or older living in communities, representative of Mexican older adults.
  
  
  
  Multivariate regression and descriptive analyses of food insecurity and frailty were performed. From a total of 7108 adults aged 60 years or older, with a mean age of 70·7 years, most (54·7 %) were women. Food security categories were: 26·3 % had food security, 40·3 % had mild food insecurity, 20·5 % had moderate food insecurity and 12·9 % had severe food insecurity. Food insecurity categories were associated with frailty, with the severe category having the highest odds ratio of 2·41 (95 % CI 2·03, 2·86; P<0·001) after adjustment for confounding factors.
  
  
  
  According to our results, food insecurity is associated to frailty, which in turn is a condition that renders the older adult at a higher risk of developing adverse outcomes. Targeted food programmes for older adults with a high risk of having food insecurity or of being frail may improve health in this population group.
authors.affiliation: 1Geriatric Epidemiology Research Department,Instituto Nacional de Geriatría,Mexico City,Mexico.
authors.forename: Mario Ulises
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4374-976X
authors.initials: MU
authors.lastname: Pérez-Zepeda
authors.affiliation: 1Geriatric Epidemiology Research Department,Instituto Nacional de Geriatría,Mexico City,Mexico.
authors.forename: Roberto Carlos
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Castrejón-Pérez
authors.affiliation: 2Public Health Division,Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México,Mexico City,Mexico.
authors.forename: Emma
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wynne-Bannister
authors.affiliation: 3Instituto Nacional de Geriatría,Periférico Sur 2767,Colonia San Jerónimo Lídice,Delegación Magdalena Contreras,CP 10200,México DF,México.
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: García-Peña
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005523:Food Supply; D000073496:Frailty / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008800:Mexico / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged; D009752:Nutritional Status
keywords: Food insecurity; Frailty; Older adults