Populationwide Longevity and Food Insecurity

Wang and Durant discuss two articles within the issue on the topics of life expectancy and longevity in vulnerable populations. The first study by Ma et al. examines the association between food insecurity and life expectancy among adults in the US. The findings show that adults with greater food insecurity live 2.6 to 4.5 years less at age 50 compared to those without food insecurity. The study also highlights stronger associations among women and White adults compared to men and Black/Hispanic adults. The second study by Himmelstein et al. analyzes data from adults aged 50 and older to explore the impact of wealth distribution on longevity. The results demonstrate a difference of 13.5 years in life expectancy between the highest and lowest wealth deciles. Simulated wealth distribution models show that more equitable wealth distribution could increase median longevity by 2.2 years. Both studies emphasize the need for broad policy solutions to address disparities in longevity, beyond just addressing food security and wealth. Multiple social determinants of health must be optimized to achieve sustainable improvements in longevity across different population subgroups.