The Hidden Faces of Hunger: A Community Assessment of Senior Nutrition in Los Angeles County

This community assessment aims to understand the barriers and best practices to alleviating food insecurity among the senior population in Los Angeles County, California. Los Angeles County is currently the most populous county in the U.S. and contains the largest estimated population of food-insecure people at nearly 1.5 million.5 Of that number, approximately 11 percent are older adults who live in food insecure households.6 While this number may seem relatively small compared to the number of food-insecure people in the county as a whole, over time it will likely increase as the senior population increases in the coming years, and the effects will be felt by the greater community. Preventative measures must be taken to ensure that all seniors from all backgrounds have access to nutritious food so that they may lead and maintain an independent and healthy lifestyle.