This study identifies the long-term and short-term users of home-delivered meals, i.e., Meals on Wheels (MOW) services, and how they differ across socioeconomic and health status. The analysis relies on a nationally representative sample of 65+ Medicare beneficiaries from the 2013–2021 National Health and Aging Trends Study. A fixed effect multinomial logit model, with lagged indicators and complex survey design, predicts the probabilities of being a short-term (1 year or less) or long-term (2+ years) MOW client. Beneficiaries’ characteristics predictive of long-term MOW use include identifying as Black, being on Medicaid, pre-frail, and having 2+ IADL limitations. Medicaid enrollment is one of the few statistically significant predictors for short-term MOW use. These results reveal that long-term MOW users are more heterogeneous and vulnerable than short-term users. Understanding the reasons various individuals rely on MOW services for multiple years may inform policy on the social and care needs of older adults.
Weaver et al. (Wed,) studied this question.