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Food practices of older LGBT adults
Their findings were published in the Journal of Aging Studies.
As the population of the United States shifts towards an older demographic, malnutrition among older adults is recognized as a significant public health concern. LGBT seniors are a particularly vulnerable population as they tend to have poorer health outcomes than heterosexual seniors, including higher rates of diet-related chronic disease and disability, and psychological distress, anxiety, and depression — conditions that adversely affect nutrition.
Dr. Cohen and Ms. Cribbs conducted four focus groups with 31 older adult clients and volunteers at Services and Advocacy for GLBT Elders (SAGE), a national organization that provides health and social services, including nutrition support and policy advocacy. The focus groups were conducted with older LGBT adults to uncover and learn about the elements (meanings, materials, and competences) that constitute their at-home food practices. For the focus groups, the researchers sought older adults who procure, prepare, and eat meals at home regularly, as well as volunteers and caregivers involved in the food practices of SAGE clients.
DPH student and researcher Kristen CribbsThe focus groups asked questions that inquired about factors inhibiting and enabling at-home food preparation and eating, including: the meanings attributed to shopping, cooking, and eating; material and physical constraints and opportunities; and competences related to meal preparation.
Analysis of the focus groups showed that the participants attributed various meanings to food preparation at home. Some viewed it as a simple, thrifty, efficient, and healthy way to feed themselves, ascribing these actions to maintaining independence and control over their daily lives. For others, the ritual of food preparation held more emotional and abstract meanings such as a means to establish and maintain connections to others, a creative outlet, a therapeutic exercise, or simply to reminisce.
Participants also discussed the role of material elements in facilitating, impeding, or shaping their food procurement and preparation practices. Materials ranged from the availability of food retailers, to kitchens and appliances, to financial resources.
Dr. Cohen explains, “Everyday food practices have large effects on health, yet are so mundane that researchers and policymakers often overlook them. This paper illustrates how a social practice framework, by shifting attention from individual behaviors to everyday food practices, provides insights often missed in conventional approaches to improving nutrition. It examines the food practices of older LGBT adults, revealing strategies used to shop, cook, eat and engage in related activities that support healthy aging, and suggests how social practice theory can be applied to program and policy design.”