** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** FOOD INSECURITY (FI) IS A SIGNIFICANT CONCERN FOR MANY US HOUSEHOLDS. THE NEGATIVE HEALTH OUTCOMES ASSOCIATED WITH FI INCLUDE LOWER DIETARY QUALITY, THE WORSENING OF BOTH PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH, AND HIGHER ALL-CAUSE MORTALITY, WHICH ARE LIKELY TO DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECT AT RISK POPULATIONS. THIS PROJECT PROPOSES THREE INTERRELATED EMPIRICAL ANALYSES AIMING AT MEASURING: 1) THE PERSISTENCY OF ADULT FI AMONG MINORITIES AND UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS ACROSS MULTIPLE TIME PERIODS AND GEOGRAPHIES; 2) MORTALITY RATES AND LIFE EXPECTANCY OF INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING ADULT FI, ESPECIALLY AT RISK POPULATIONS; AND 3) THE EXISTENCE OF A DOWNWARD BIAS IN THE MEASURE OF ELDERLY FI INCIDENCE. THE FIRST OBJECTIVE AIMS TO ASSESS THE INCIDENCE (AND DETERMINANTS) OF PERSISTENT FOOD INSECURITY AMONG U.S. MINORITIES, USING MATCHING METHODS TO CREATE PSEUDO-LONGITUDINAL SAMPLES FROM PUBLICLY AVAILABLE CURRENT POPULATION SURVEY - FOOD SECURITY SUPPLEMENT (CPS-FSS) DATA. THE SECOND OBJECTIVE COMBINES CPS-FSS DATA WITH PUBLICLY AVAILABLE MORTALITY DATA OF THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR HEALTH STATISTICS, TO ESTIMATE MORTALITY RATES FOR INDIVIDUALS EXPERIENCING FI, AND FOOD INSECURITY ADJUSTED LIFE EXPECTANCY, WITH A FOCUS ON AT-RISK POPULATIONS, AND ON THE POTENTIAL EFFECTIVENESS OF POLICIES REDUCING FI. THE THIRD OBJECTIVE WILL DOCUMENT THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE EXCLUSION OF INSTITUTIONALIZED INDIVIDUALS FROM THE CPS-FSS MAY LEAD TO UNDERMEASURAMENT OF FI IN THE ELDERLY, BY COMBINING HEALTH AND RETIREMENT STUDY DATA WITH CPS-FSS.