Health
New Research from the Humana Foundation Examines Food Insecurity Crisis Among Kentucky Seniors
LOUISVILLE, Ky., November 19, 2025--The Humana Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Humana Inc. for the past 44 years, today announced the publication of its new issue brief, Senior Food Insecurity in Kentucky: A Growing Public Health Challenge. The brief examines the complex web of challenges the state’s older adults face in accessing nutritious foods and offers a call to action with recommended investments that can help overcome those barriers.
About this update from Humana Inc.
[{"type":"image","alt":"","displaySize":"","headline":null,"caption":"","credit":null,"className":"","disableSlideshowImg":false,"size":{"original":{"width":480,"height":252,"url":"https://media.zenfs.com/en/business-wire.com/9941917819ffea0bae9fe5e367a2c0a9"},"resized":{"url":"https://s.yimg.com/ny/api/res/1.2/6_jUro78dZ3JPX.KKA7DBg--/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTUwNDtjZj13ZWJw/https://media.zenfs.com/en/business-wire.com/9941917819ffea0bae9fe5e367a2c0a9","width":480,"height":252}},"lazy":false},{"type":"text","content":"LOUISVILLE, Ky., November 19, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The Humana Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Humana Inc. for the past 44 years, today announced the publication of its new issue brief, Senior Food Insecurity in Kentucky: A Growing Public Health Challenge. The brief examines the complex web of challenges the state’s older adults face in accessing nutritious foods and offers a call to action with recommended investments that can help overcome those barriers.","length":467,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"Kentucky ranks 46th among all states in overall senior health status. Food insecurity among Kentucky’s 65-and-older population is on the rise. It currently stands at 12.0%, surpassing the national average of 9.2%. About one in five seniors in the state has type 2 diabetes, and a similar number report having been diagnosed with depression; both conditions are often associated with food insecurity.","length":399,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":"The research also points to the strong relationship between food insecurity and the mental health of seniors. Loneliness and lack of social support are also significantly associated with higher odds of being food insecure.","length":222,"tagName":"p"},{"type":"text","content":""Nutritious food is foundational to good health, especially for older adults. But far too many Kentucky seniors are struggling to access that basic human necessity due to a myriad of factors, including mobility and transportation challenges, geographic and social isolation, limited income, and obstacles preventing them from applying for food assistance," said Danielle Neveles-McGrath, Chief Impact Officer of the Humana Foundation and co-author of the issue brief. "At the same time, more support for community-driven solutions that center seniors’ voices, scale existing resources and inve...