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Table 3 Food environmental characteristics of single older adults according to food security status

From: Objective and perceived food environment and household economic resources related to food insecurity in older adults living alone in rural areas

Variables

Total

Food secure household

Food insecure household

t or chi-square

Household food availability

 Purchasing food

82.4(140)

82.0(91)

83.1(49)

0.03

 Farming or home gardening

20.0(34)

24.3(27)

11.9(7)

3.74

 Private food assistance

18.8(32)

19.8(22)

17.0(10)

0.21

 Public food assistance program

52.4(89)

45.1(50)

66.1(39)

6.85**

Household food accessibility

 Having intangible support for food purchasing from family

8.8(15)

12.6(14)

1.7(1)

5.98

 Having intangible support for food purchasing from neighbors

6.5(11)

4.5(5)

10.2(6)

2.04

Community food availability, objective indices

 Places to purchase food

  Traditional market

35.3(60)

34.2(38)

37.3(22)

0.16

  Super market

13.5(23)

11.7(13)

17.0(10)

0.90

  Super supermarket

45.3(77)

48.7(54)

39.0(23)

2.02

Community food availability, perceptiona

 No various foods in the nearest food store

8.2(14)

5.4(6)

13.6(8)

3.40

Community food accessibility, objective indices

 Transportation to the nearest food storesb

   

0.59

  By walk

43.5(74)

41.4(46)

47.5(28)

 

  By driving

38.8(66)

40.5(45)

35.6(21)

 

 Distance to the nearest food stores (min)

  By walkc

17.1±12.3

15.9±13.8

19.1±9.0

1.21

  By drivingc

20.7±9.1

21.7±8.5

18.6±10.1

1.67

Community food accessibility, perceptiona

 Having difficulties in food purchasing due to food stores far from home

25.9(44)

16.2(18)

44.1(26)

16.46***

 Having difficulties in food purchasing due to bus stop far from home

15.9(27)

18.9(21)

10.2(6)

2.44

 Having difficulties in food purchasing due to inconvenience bus route

11.8(20)

16.2(18)

3.4(2)

6.47*

  1. Values are mean ± SD for continuous variables or % (n) for categorical variables
  2. * significantly different between food secure and insecure household (*p < 0.05, **p < 0.01, ***p < 0.001)
  3. a Responses were “yes”, “no”, or “not applicable (non-purchasing of foods)”
  4. b Responses were “by walk”, “by driving”, or “not applicable”
  5. c Responses among the participants who used the transportation to the nearest food store