“It is just that we are alive but we are suffering”: experience of food insecurity among elderly in Morogoro, Tanzania—a qualitative study

A significant proportion of the elderly population in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is food insecure. Insufficient daily meal intake, quantity of food, and dietary monotony are among the defining characteristics of the elderly population in the region. However, there is limited documentation on elderly voices regarding their experience of the phenomenon in Tanzania. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the experience of food insecurity among elderly people (identified as poor elderly) aged 60 years in Morogoro. We adopted an exploratory case study design employing in-depth interviews (IDI) guide and a Focused Group Discussions (FGD) guide to explore the experience of food insecurity among the elderly population and identify the underlying circumstances. A purposive sampling procedure was used to select study participants for in-depth interviews and focused group discussion (FGD). A total of 25 elderly and 3 district officials were involved in in-depth interviews, and another 25 elderly people were involved in focused group discussions. A thematic analysis adopting both inductive and deductive approaches was used to analyse the collected data and findings are presented in forms of themes and subthemes. The study found that the elderly had experience of having limited access to food and ate a smaller number of meals as well as insufficient amounts. The circumstances underlying food insecurity among the elderly population were found to be limited strength to engage themselves in farm activities or work as casual labour to earn some money to buy food, limited strength to prepare food, the burden of taking care of grandchildren, and inadequate food support from children. This study has demonstrated that elderly people experience food insecurity with respect to both quantity and quality. Therefore, it is high time that the government develops a strategy to ensure that all elderly have assurance of food all over the country.