Source: GeoHealth
An estimated 13.5% of U.S. households experienced food insecurity in 2023. Limited income, unemployment, transportation issues, distance to grocery stores, high housing costs, widespread health-related disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic, natural hazards, and climate change can all contribute to inconsistent access to food. Poor diet can lead to poor health outcomes, such as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.
Compiling datasets from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Census Bureau, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other agencies, Joseph used mixed-effects regression models to examine how the links between food insecurity and health vary geographically across the United States.
Joseph modeled diabetes incidence at the county level and cardiovascular disease at the state level. Overall, he found that higher levels of food insecurity were correlated with increased rates of diabetes and heart disease. People living below the Federal Poverty Level had twice the incidence of diabetes as those with higher incomes. Combined food insecurity, diabetes, and cardiovascular health issues were highest in the southern United States, which has the highest poverty rate in the country.
Joseph also considered other demographic information from the datasets, such as ethnicity, education, and age. However, these factors were not included in the mixed-effects regression models because there is not a consistent dataset for the whole country. Among the population examined, American Indian/Alaska Native adults were most affected by diabetes, but Black populations also experienced relatively high rates of food insecurity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and death from cardiovascular incidents. Lower education and lower income levels were correlated with higher instances of cardiovascular disease, and children tended to experience higher food insecurity rates than adults. (GeoHealth, https://doi.org/10.1029/2024GH001198, 2025)
—Rebecca Owen (@beccapox.bsky.social), Science Writer
Citation: Owen, R. (2025), Food insecurity is linked to heart disease and diabetes in the United States, Eos, 106,https://doi.org/10.1029/2025EO250094. Published on 11 March 2025.
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