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Eating Alone or Together among Community-Living Older People—A Scoping Review

Author

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  • Amanda Björnwall

    (Department of Food studies, Nutrition and Dietetics, Uppsala University, Box 560, 75122 Uppsala, Sweden)

  • Ylva Mattsson Sydner

    (Department of Food studies, Nutrition and Dietetics, Uppsala University, Box 560, 75122 Uppsala, Sweden)

  • Afsaneh Koochek

    (Department of Food studies, Nutrition and Dietetics, Uppsala University, Box 560, 75122 Uppsala, Sweden)

  • Nicklas Neuman

    (Department of Food studies, Nutrition and Dietetics, Uppsala University, Box 560, 75122 Uppsala, Sweden)

Abstract

Research on healthy aging commonly concerns problems related to loneliness and food intake. These are not independent aspects of health since eating, beyond its biological necessity, is a central part of social life. This scoping review aimed to map scientific articles on eating alone or together among community-living older people, and to identify relevant research gaps. Four databases were searched, 989 articles were identified and 98 fulfilled the inclusion criteria. In the first theme, eating alone or together are treated as central topics of interest, isolated from adjoining, broader concepts such as social participation. In the second, eating alone or together are one aspect of the findings, e.g., one of several risk factors for malnutrition. Findings confirm the significance of commensality in older peoples’ life. We recommend future research designs allowing identification of causal relationships, using refined ways of measuring meals alone or together, and qualitative methods adding complexity.

Suggested Citation

  • Amanda Björnwall & Ylva Mattsson Sydner & Afsaneh Koochek & Nicklas Neuman, 2021. "Eating Alone or Together among Community-Living Older People—A Scoping Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(7), pages 1-42, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:7:p:3495-:d:525450
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Posner, B.M. & Jette, A.M. & Smith, K.W. & Miller, D.R., 1993. "Nutrition and health risks in the elderly: The nutrition screening initiative," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 83(7), pages 972-978.
    2. Shannon Ang, 2018. "Social Participation and Mortality Among Older Adults in Singapore: Does Ethnicity Explain Gender Differences?," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 73(8), pages 1470-1479.
    3. Lai, Xinjun & Lam, William H.K. & Su, Junbiao & Fu, Hui, 2019. "Modelling intra-household interactions in time-use and activity patterns of retired and dual-earner couples," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 126(C), pages 172-194.
    4. Haewon Byeon, 2019. "Predicting the Swallow-Related Quality of Life of the Elderly Living in a Local Community Using Support Vector Machine," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(21), pages 1-9, November.
    5. Elisabeth Vesnaver & Heather H. Keller & Olga Sutherland & Scott B. Maitland & Julie L. Locher, 2016. "Alone at the Table: Food Behavior and the Loss of Commensality in Widowhood," The Journals of Gerontology: Series B, The Gerontological Society of America, vol. 71(6), pages 1059-1069.
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    Cited by:

    1. Shuai Zhou & Xiangying Ding & Janet Tsin Yee Leung, 2023. "Healthy Aging at Family Mealtimes: Associations of Clean Cooking, Protein Intake, and Dining Together with Mental Health of Chinese Older Adults amid COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-17, January.
    2. Terhi Holster & Mai Camilla Munkejord, 2023. "How can we foster caring meals? Findings from an ethnographic study in day care centers for older adults in Sápmi, Norway," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 10(1), pages 1-8, December.
    3. Håkan Jönsson & Maxime Michaud & Nicklas Neuman, 2021. "What Is Commensality? A Critical Discussion of an Expanding Research Field," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(12), pages 1-17, June.
    4. Liu, Stephanie Q. & Wu, Laurie Luorong & Yu, Xi & Huang, Huiling, 2022. "Marketing online food images via color saturation: A sensory imagery perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 151(C), pages 366-378.

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