Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Why Is Food Insecurity High Among U.S. Grandparents Who Are Caring For Grandchildren?, Madonna Harrington Meyer, Anna Delapaz

Population Health Research Brief Series

One in four grandparent-headed families report food insecurity, compared to one in seven among all families with children. Generally, the more care grandparents provide for their grandchildren, the more likely they are to be food insecure. This brief summarizes finding from interviews conducted in 2021 with U.S. adults ages 60 and older who are caring for their grandchildren. The authors summarize the factors contributing to food insecurity among grandparents and call for better policies to assist food-insecure grandparents providing care for their grandchildren as they grapple with inadequate funds, burdensome food assistance programs, inadequate transportation, shortages of fresh foods, and …