Another reason Congress should ensure Social Security benefits for the lowest-income people can cover the cost of food:
Key points
- In 2019, the protein-energy malnutrition mortality rate for adults aged 75 and older was 49.2 deaths per 100,000, a 152.7% increase since 2000. *
- Black adults experienced the highest malnutrition mortality rates, followed by American Indian/Alaskan Native, White, Latino, and Asian adults.
- Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, Georgia, Louisiana, the Carolinas, and Utah counties had the highest malnutrition mortality rates.
“…our study highlights the critical need for targeted clinical, public health, and policy interventions to reduce malnutrition mortality among older adults in the US. The population differences in mortality rates and the wide variation by county underscore the necessity for culturally and regionally tailored nutrition programs that address the specific socioeconomic and environmental challenges these groups face.”
* The researchers note that the study findings may have been affected by provider behavior resulting from changes in federal coding and reimbursement policies in the ACA.