Precarity, vulnerability and food insecurity: A proposed framework for understanding the experiences of Pensioner Age Households in Coastal and rural communities

Coastal and rural communities experience some of the worst health-related outcomes in England, with high rates of many preventable diseases resulting in lower life expectancy (Whitty 2021). People living in socially and economically disadvantaged communities are currently being failed by the UK food system, which leaves them vulnerable to food insecurity and struggling to access affordable, healthy, safe and sustainable food (Hunt et al. 2023). Prevalence of food insecurity is high in poorer areas, with 36% of people living in the most deprived areas being food insecure compared to 14% in the least deprived areas (Shillitoe et al. 2026). Food insecurity is associated with high levels of morbidity and poor health outcomes (Loopstra et al. 2019). Food environments in economically disadvantaged communities are typically characterised by a lack of access to affordable fruit and vegetables, alongside easy access to foods of poor nutritional quality, including takeaways and convenience foods (Loopstra et al. 2019; Titis et al. 2022). Recent increases in numbers of older people experiencing food insecurity present concerns for public health, with latest figures showing that food insecurity has more than doubled in older adults between 2020 (5% [65–74], 3% [75+]) and 2026 (13% [65–74], 7% [75+]) (Armstrong et al. 2021; Armstrong et al. 2026). Pension age households (PAH) living in areas of deprivation reach retirement age in poorer health than their contemporaries in other areas (Age UK 2021). However, despite knowledge of these poorer health outcomes and the contribution that food makes to health and well-being, little is known about their experience of food insecurity in rural and coastal communities (Age UK 2021). Food insecurity in later life differs from that experienced by other demographics, as changes in physical and cognitive health amplify the impact of poverty (Dickinson and Thompson 2025). PAH often have smaller social networks from which to draw support (Leddy et al. 2020), are more likely to experience bereavement and have at least one long-term condition, and may experience difficulties with mobility issues or sensory loss, which can make the process of accessing food challenging (Malnutrition Task Force 2017).