To estimate the prevalence of nutrition security and examine its association with community food environment factors, including food access and affordability.

This cross-sectional study used data from the 2012–2013 National Household Food Acquisition and Purchase Survey, including its restricted-use Geography Component (FoodAPS-GC). Household nutrition security measure was derived by combining self-assessed food security and self-rated diet quality indicators into four categories: food secure with high diet quality (FSHD), food secure with low diet quality (FSLD), food insecure with high diet quality (FIHD) and food insecure with low diet quality (FILD). Only FSHD households were considered nutrition secure. Multinomial logit analysis identified factors associated with nutrition security.

4685 households with primary respondents aged 20 years or older

Nationally representative sample of US households

Approximately 31·0 % of households were classified as nutrition insecure, including 15·0 % as FSLD, 9·3 % as FIHD and 6·7 % as FILD. The remaining 69·0 % were nutrition secure (FSHD). Nutrition insecurity was significantly associated with younger age, lower educational attainment, lower income, obesity, smoking and poorer self-rated health. Food environment factors, including low geographic access to food and higher local food prices, were not significantly associated with nutrition security. Relying on someone else’s car to reach a primary food store was linked to higher odds of nutrition insecurity.

The proposed nutrition security measure can be used to monitor nutrition security in national surveys. Comprehensive measures of the food environment are needed to understand its relationship with nutrition security and to guide targeted policy interventions.

To examine: (1) diet quality of older adults, using the Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI-2010) and self-rated diet quality, (2) characteristics associated with reported awareness and use of nutrition information and (3) factors associated with HEI score and self-rated diet quality.

Cross-sectional study. Based on Day 1 and/or Day 2 dietary recalls, the Per-Person method was used to estimate HEI-2010 component and total scores. T-tests and ANOVA were used to compare means. Logistic and linear regressions were used to test for associations with diet quality, controlling for potential confounders.

National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2009–2014.

Three thousand and fifty-six adults, aged 60 years and older, who completed at least one 24-h recall and answered questions on awareness and use of nutrition information.

Mean HEI score for men was significantly lower than for women (56·4 ± 0·6 v. 60·2 ± 0·6, P < 0·0001). Compared with men, more women were aware of (44·8 % v. 33·7 %, P < 0·05) and used (13·7 % v. 5·9 %, P < 0·05) nutrition information. In multivariable analyses, awareness and use of nutrition information were significant predictors of both HEI and self-rated diet quality for both women and men. Groups with lower nutrition awareness included men, non-Whites, participants in nutrition assistance programmes and those with lower education and socio-economic status.

Nutrition awareness and use of nutrition information are associated with diet quality in adults 60 years and older. Gaps in awareness of dietary guidelines in certain segments of the older adult population suggest that targeted education may improve diet quality for these groups.