Food choice of older adults
Influencing variables can include: social and cultural environment, gender and/or personal habits, and also physical and mental health.
The ENP was implemented in 1972 to explore how food preferences varied depending on biological sex and ethnic groups, the goal being to improve the quality of meal programs.
In addition, compared with African Americans, the study found that "... Caucasians demonstrated higher percentages of preference for 9 of 13 food groups including pasta, meat, and fresh fruit", and recommended that "... To improve the quality of the ENP, and to increase dietary compliance of the older adults to the programs, the nutritional services require a strategic meal plan that solicits and incorporates older adults' food preferences".
Aspects like their environment, mental and physical health, and lifestyle choices can all contribute to the individual taste and/or habits of elderly people.
An aging adult’s nutritional well-being can be affected by multiple socio-environmental factors, including access to healthy and affordable foods, congregate meal sites, and nutritious selections at restaurants.
Possible causes considered for this difference were the younger female test subjects' menstrual cycles and the fact that elderly women may have gone through menopause.
The study also postulated that "... Ninety-one percent (91%) of the cycle-associated cravings were said to occur in the second half of the cycle (between ovulation and the start of menstruation)".
Declines in physical health, such as conditions like arthritis, can also cause deterioration in diet due to difficulties in preparing and eating food.
[8] At the 2010 "Providing Healthy and Safe Foods As We Age" conference sponsored by the Institute of Medicine, Dr. Katherine Tucker noted that the elderly are less active and have lower metabolic rates, with a consequent reduced need to eat.
When a person falls victim to a condition that limits mental capacity, mortality risk can rise if due care is not implemented.
[8] A survey based on self-reporting found that many rural elderly Iowans adopted eating habits that provided inadequate levels of some key nutrients, and most did not take supplements to correct the deficiencies.
[17] Other research has found that adults, regardless of age, will tend to increase fruit and vegetable consumption following a diagnosis of breast, prostate, or colorectal cancer.
This can vary greatly with geographic location; for instance, an Iowa-based study failed to find problems in purchasing food among the elderly in rural open country and towns, as those without their own transportation relied on family, friends, and senior services.
