Meals On Wheels campaign reveals the staggering reality of senior hunger in the United States…National survey shows nearly one-quarter of U.S. adults do not think hunger is a very big problem for seniors

WASHINGTON, March 1 /PRNewswire/ -- Baby boomers are turning 60 every seven seconds, and in 2011, the first wave of 78 million baby boomers will turn 65.(1) Hunger can strike at any age, but many people are not aware of the devastating effects it has on our senior citizens.

Today, more than three quarters of a million Americans over 65 and living alone have difficulty providing themselves with a steady supply of food and experience some degree of hunger.(2) Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) is the oldest and largest organization in the United States representing those who provide meal services to people in need. This year marks the fifth anniversary of MOWAA's March For Meals, a nationwide public awareness and fundraising campaign, sponsored by Harrah's Entertainment, Inc., designed to focus attention on and help eradicate senior hunger in the U.S.

"The United States is the only developed country with such a serious hunger problem," states Dr. J. Larry Brown, director of the Center on Hunger and Poverty at Brandeis University. "Ensuring adequate food and nutrition is essential to the prevention of chronic disease and disease-related disabilities among seniors. As the number of elderly Americans grows, this problem will continue to plague our country unless we take corrective action now."

Common Misconceptions about Senior Hunger in the U.S.

Meals On Wheels programs across the U.S. deliver more than 1 million meals each day to senior citizens and other homebound individuals. However, MOWAA estimates that 2 million additional meals are required to meet the growing demand for nutrition services. A recent national survey shows that 58 percent of U.S. adults wrongly assume that most senior citizens who request food from senior nutrition programs receive it.(3) The fact is: four out of 10 nutrition programs that feed the elderly, such as Meals On Wheels, have waiting lists for nutrition services due to lack of awareness, funding, and/or volunteers.(4) As grim as that statistic is, it clearly shows the current unmet need amongst the senior population.

The survey also demonstrates that 24 percent of U.S. adults do not think hunger is a very big problem for seniors and four in five U.S. adults (80 percent) believe that hunger among senior citizens is most often caused by poverty. Enid Borden, CEO of MOWAA, explains, "While poverty does often contribute to senior hunger, loneliness, isolation, and physical problems can be major contributors as well. The truth is, many senior citizens who live alone are unable to meet their dietary needs for a variety of reasons and are forced to make compromises that can negatively affect their health."

Senior Hunger: A Life-Threatening Disease

Seniors who experience hunger are at risk for serious health problems. Hunger can be life-threatening by increasing the risk for stroke, prolonging recovery from illness, extending hospital stays, limiting the effects of prescription drugs, decreasing resistance to infection, and even increasing the occurrence of depression and isolation.(5) The majority of U.S. adults (71 percent) do not believe that they or their loved ones will ever experience some degree of hunger that will affect their health. However, with the first wave of baby boomers turning 65 in the next decade, there is certainly a chance that many older Americans could be affected by hunger in the future unless steps are taken to end this significant societal problem.

Mayors Unite to Fight Senior Hunger

As part of March For Meals this year, MOWAA is organizing the first Mayors For Meals initiative-a visionary effort designed to shine a spotlight on the growing problem of senior hunger in America. On March 22, 2006, more than 350 mayors, at least one mayor in each of the 50 states in the U.S., will join forces with their local meal programs and deliver meals to homebound seniors in their communities.

One of the mayors who is taking part in the Mayors For Meals campaign and will be delivering a meal on March 22, 2006 is Mayor David Cicilline of Providence, Rhode Island. Mayor Cicilline explains, "I think Mayors For Meals is a great initiative and a wonderful way to get public officials involved with Meals On Wheels. It will really build public support and remind seniors that everyone cares about them and that their city mayors care about them as well."

To support MOWAA in its effort to end senior hunger, log onto http://www.mowaa.org/ to make a donation or find out about volunteer opportunities in your community.

About Meals On Wheels Association of America

The Meals On Wheels Association of America (MOWAA) is the oldest and largest organization in the United States representing those who provide meal services to people in need. Meals On Wheels programs across the country deliver meals to more than 1.7 million housebound seniors and impaired individuals in the United States every year. The guiding principle to which MOWAA subscribes is to help those men and women who are elderly, homebound, disabled, frail, or at risk. MOWAA provides the tools and information its programs need to make a difference in the lives of others. It also gives cash grants to local senior meal programs throughout the country to assist in providing meals and other nutrition services. The mission of MOWAA is to provide visionary leadership and professional training and to develop partnerships that will ensure the provision of quality nutrition services.

Senior Hunger Survey Methodology

Harris Interactive(R) conducted the telephone survey on behalf of MOWAA between February 2 and 5, 2006 among a nationwide cross section of 1,032 U.S. adults ages 18 and over. Figures for age, sex, race, and region were weighted where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population. In theory, with a probability sample of this size, one can say with 95 percent certainty that the results have a sampling error of plus or minus 3.1 percentage points of what they would be if the entire U.S. adult population had been polled with complete accuracy.