Available food options at local shops in relation to food insecurity among older adults in Sharpeville, South Africa

Due to limited resources and complex food access systems in urban areas, especially older adults are more vulnerable to poor dietary intake and food insecurity in low-income areas in South Africa. This study assessed the prevalence of food insecurity among the older adults and explored the availability of healthy foods in local shops. It was a cross-sectional study conducted in an eldercare centre in Sharpeville, South Africa with an estimated representative sample of 88 participants. Validated tools were used to measure the socio-economic, dietary diversity intake (24-hour dietary recall), household food security and access from the participants. Listing of available foods was carried out on street vendors (n=13) and spaza shops (local community shops) (n=17) within a four kilometer radius of the centre through on-site visit. A binary logistic regression was used to examine the determinants of food insecurity among older adults. More than half (54.5%) of the older adults reported sev