# The Longitudinal and Dynamic Effects of Food Insecurity on Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Risk

> **NIH NIH R01** · HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH · 2024 · $389,420

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY
By 2030, 8.5 million Americans will be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD); yet
because socioeconomically disadvantaged populations are underrepresented in ADRD research, the extent of
ADRD disparities by socioeconomic factors are poorly understood. Food insecurity, a condition of limited food
availability due to insufficient resources, is an understudied dimension of socioeconomic disadvantage and a
persistent health concern in the United States. Food insecurity has increased 128% among older adults since
2001, and has been associated with lower cognitive function in limited cross-sectional studies. The lack of
rigorous research investigating the effect of food insecurity on cognitive impairment and ADRD risk is a widely
acknowledged gap in the health disparities and ADRD literature, and represents a major missed opportunity to
better understand how a key social determinant of health can influence cognitive aging in later life. The overall
objective for this application is to understand the longitudinal and dynamic effects of food insecurity on
cognitive impairment and ADRD risk. The central hypothesis is that food insecurity increases the risk of
accelerated cognitive impairment and ADRD through poor diet quality, cardiometabolic health conditions,
psychological distress, and poor mental health, all of which has been demonstrated by prior research. Food
insecurity is both preventable and reversible; therefore, the rationale for this project is that establishing food
insecurity as a risk factor for cognitive impairment and ADRD risk will inform public health strategies to address
and prevent the dual burden of food insecurity and ADRD among older adults. To achieve the proposed aims,
this project will leverage data from two well-established cohort studies: 1) the Panel Study of Income Dynamics
(PSID), the longest running nationally representative household panel survey, and 2) the Health and
Retirement Study (HRS), the leading nationally representative study on aging. Our specific aims are to: 1)
evaluate the dynamic effects of food insecurity in adulthood on ADRD risk; 2) identify the longitudinal effects of
food insecurity on trajectories of cognitive impairment; and 3) examine heterogeneity by sociodemographic
characteristics and diet quality on the effects of food insecurity on cognitive impairment and ADRD risk. By
leveraging data from two nationally representative studies, this project will be the first to provide a
complementary and comprehensive understanding of the long-term effects of food insecurity on cognitive
impairment and ADRD risk. These results will have significant clinical, public health, and policy implications by
identifying a modifiable risk factor to promote healthy cognitive aging and improve quality of life, particularly
among socioeconomically disadvantaged populations.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10845559
- **Project number:** 5R01AG079286-03
- **Recipient organization:** HARVARD UNIVERSITY D/B/A HARVARD SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
- **Principal Investigator:** Cindy Leung
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $389,420
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2022-09-15 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10845559

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10845559, The Longitudinal and Dynamic Effects of Food Insecurity on Cognitive Impairment and Dementia Risk (5R01AG079286-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10845559. Licensed CC0.

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