Research

The State of Senior Hunger in American 2016

(Released May 16, 2018)

The National Foundation to End Senior Hunger and Feeding America have released a study entitled “The State of Senior Hunger in America 2016.” The report is based on original research conducted by Dr. James P. Ziliak of the University of Kentucky and Dr. Craig G. Gundersen of the University of Illinois. The report shows that 7.7 percent of seniors age 60 and older in the United States were food insecure in 2016. Although the food insecurity has declined recently, it remains substantially above the rate in 2007.

The State of Senior Hunger in American 2015

(Released August 16, 2017)

Feeding America and the National Foundation to End Senior Hunger have released a study entitled “The State of Senior Hunger in America 2015.” The report is based on original research conducted by Dr. James P. Ziliak of the University of Kentucky and Dr. Craig G. Gundersen of the University of Illinois. The report shows that 14.7 percent of seniors age 60 and older in the United States faced the threat of hunger in 2015. While this represents a percentage decrease over the previous year, more seniors were threatened in 2015 than by pre-recession levels in 2007.

The Health Consequences of Senior Hunger in the United States: Evidence from the 1999-2014 NHANES

(Released August 16, 2017)

Millions of seniors are food insecure in the United States, meaning that scores do not have access to enough food at all times for an active, healthy life. This report examines the health consequences of food insecurity among seniors and updates Dr. James P. Ziliak’s and Dr. Craig Gundersen’s earlier studies on this issue by examining how trends in health and nutrition outcomes among food secure and food insecure seniors have changed over the past decade before and after the Great Recession.

State of Senior Hunger in America 2014: An Annual Report

(Released June 1, 2016)

The National Foundation to End Senior Hunger (NFESH) has released a study, entitled State of Senior Hunger in America 2014: An Annual Report, based on original research conducted by Dr. James P. Ziliak of the University of Kentucky and Dr. Craig G. Gundersen of the University of Illinois. Commissioned by NFESH, this report reveals that 15.8 percent of seniors or 10.2 million individuals age 60 or older in the United States faced the threat of hunger. From 2001 to 2014, the number of seniors experiencing the threat of hunger increased by 119 percent.

State of Senior Hunger in America 2013: An Annual Report

(Released April 23, 2015)

The National Foundation to End Senior Hunger (NFESH) has released a study, entitled State of Senior Hunger in America 2013: An Annual Report, conducted by Dr. James P. Ziliak and Dr. Craig G. Gundersen. Commissioned by NFESH, this report reveals that 15.5 percent of seniors or 9.6 million individuals age 60 or older in the United States faced the threat of hunger. This represents an increase of 300,000 more seniors affected by senior hunger than the previous year.

State of Senior Hunger in America 2012: An Annual Report

(Released May 21, 2014)

The National Foundation to End Senior Hunger (NFESH) has released a study, entitled State of Senior Hunger in America 2012: An Annual Report, conducted by Dr. James P. Ziliak and Dr. Craig G. Gundersen. Commissioned by NFESH and underwritten in part by the RGK Foundation, the report examines the extent and distribution of hunger threat among seniors in 2012.

Spotlight on Senior Health: Adverse Health Outcomes of Food Insecure Older Americans

(Released March 18, 2014)

NFESH, in partnership with Feeding America, has released a research report entitled Spotlight on Senior Health: Adverse Health Outcomes of Food Insecure Older Americans. The report finds that food insecure seniors are more likely than those who are food secure to have lower nutrient intakes and to be at a higher risk for a number of diseases and negative health conditions.

The Health Consequences of Senior Hunger in the United States: Evidence from the 1999-2010 NHANES

(Released February 26, 2014)

The National Foundation to End Senior Hunger (NFESH) has released a study entitled The Health Consequences of Senior Hunger in the United States: Evidence from the 1999-2010 NHANES conducted by Dr. James P. Ziliak and Dr. Craig G. Gundersen. This NFESH commissioned report is the first to examine trends in health outcomes across food security status for the entire first decade of the 21st century in order to document whether there are health consequences attendant to the dramatic increase in food insecurity among seniors during that period.

State of Senior Hunger in America 2011: An Annual Report

(Released August 28, 2013)

The National Foundation to End Senior Hunger (NFESH) has released a study entitled The State of Senior Hunger in America 2011: An Annual Report that provides the information on the percent of individuals age 60 and older who faced the threat of hunger in 2011 in each of the states and the District of Columbia. Based on this data, the report lists and ranks the ten states with the highest rate of senior hunger. From the data those ten states with the lowest percent of seniors facing the threat of hunger can also be identified.

Spotlight on Senior Hunger

(Released May 22, 2013)

In partnership with Feeding America, NFESH has released a new research report entitled, Spotlight on Senior Hunger. The report examines the growth of senior hunger in the United States and reveals that the number of food insecure seniors above the age of 60 has more than doubled to 4.8 million from 2001 to 2011. The findings show the unexpected level of growth was most pronounced in Baby Boomers (i.e. the “young old” age 60-69).

Senior Hunger in America 2010: An Annual Report

(Released May 3, 2012)

“The Great Recession has caused extreme hardship on many families in the United States, and senior Americans are no exception. Based on the barometer of food insecurity, this report demonstrates that our seniors may face more challenges than initially thought. Unlike the population as a whole, food insecurity among those age 60 and older actually increased between 2009 and 2010. These increases were most pronounced among the near poor, whites, widows, non-metro residents, the retired, women, and among households with no grandchildren present.”

Senior Hunger in the United States: Differences across States and Rural and Urban Areas

(Released September 8, 2009)

“In our updated report released today I regret to inform you that the national outlook in terms of hunger has gotten worse for our seniors. Specifically, with two additional years of data we find a discernible upward trend in the fraction of seniors facing the threat of hunger, rising from 11 percent in 2001 to 11.5 percent in 2007. Put another way, as of 2007 there were nearly 6 million seniors facing the threat of hunger, or 1 million more than in 2001.”

-Dr. James Ziliak before the House Hunger Caucus, U.S. House of Representatives, on November 19, 2009.

The Causes, Consequences, and Future of Senior Hunger in America

(Released March 5, 2008)

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