ORCID

0000-0002-7649-3417

Keywords

household food insecurity, functional limitations, health status

Abstract

Household food insecurity is a multidimensional issue affecting millions of households in the United States. While research has established that low income and poor health or functional limitations can increase the risk of food insecurity, current approaches do not fully capture these dynamic processes to identify long-term vulnerability. Specifically, income-based measures rely on static thresholds that miss instability, potentially underestimating risk. Gaps also remain in understanding persistent food insecurity, including how functional limitations (difficulties with activities like bathing, shopping, or managing finances) are associated with insecurity over time. These functional limitations can impact both economic factors (such as the ability to work or manage household finances) and logistical factors (such as traveling to grocery stores or preparing meals). This dissertation examines how income instability and health relate to food insecurity, and how functional limitations are associated with persistence among older adults. An attractor landscape model conceptualizes food insecurity as a time-evolving process within a household system, in which interactions shape valleys of resilience and vulnerability. The novel application of multidimensional recurrence quantification analysis (MdRQA) examined monthly income patterns and found that greater income stability was associated with a lower risk of food insecurity. Dependent mixture models showed that declines in instrumental activities of daily living and mobility functions increase the probability of transitioning to states at high risk of insecurity. The probability of remaining in these high-risk states increased significantly with older age. Critical thresholds in functional limitations were also identified that significantly increase the risk of persistent insecurity. Together, these findings offer clear policy implications for public assistance programs, including recommendations for income eligibility assessment, improved identification criteria for at-risk households, and evidence to inform policy reforms on program recertification and benefit allotment.

Completion Date

2026

Semester

Spring

Committee Chair

Girishanprabhu, Vishnunarayan

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

College

College of Sciences

Department

Modeling and Simulation

Format

PDF

Document Type

Dissertation

Identifier

DP0053161

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