Margaret Lumbers

A measure of satisfaction with food-related life

A measure of satisfaction with food-related life is developed and tested in three studies in eight European countries. Five items are retained from an original pool of seven; these items exhibit good reliability as measured by Cronbachs alpha, good temporal stability, convergent validity with two related measures, and construct validity as indicated by relationships with other indicators of quality of life, including the Satisfaction With Life and the SF-8 scales. It is concluded that this scale will be useful in studies trying to identify factors contributing to satisfaction with food-related life.

Understanding older shoppers: A phenomenological investigation

Purpose – This research aims to explore the shopping behaviour and needs and wants of the over 55s market. Retail spaces have been most concerned with targeting the young, but the growing importance of the older segment now dictates that retail environments must increasingly communicate with older shoppers.Design/methodology/approach – Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with senior executives from the retail property industry. Focus groups were conducted with older shoppers to explore their perceived needs and wants.Findings – Key findings include the need to use “perceived age” rather than chronological age in determining marketing strategies. The importance of shopping as a means of socialisation and a leisure pursuit was emphasised by older consumers and that they see themselves as experienced, astute shoppers who seek quality and service.Research limitations/implications – The heterogeneity of the mature market was highlighted; outlook and lifestyles of older consumers are likely to continue to...

Factors Influencing Eating a Varied Diet in Old Age

OBJECTIVE To investigate the influences of resources and food-related goals on the variety of food choice among older people. DESIGN A questionnaire-based survey in eight European countries: Poland, Portugal, United Kingdom, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Italy and Spain. SUBJECTS Participants (n 3200) were above 65 years of age and living in their own homes. The samples were quota samples, eight groups of fifty in each country, based on gender, age and living circumstances, reflecting the diversity of each of the national populations based on education, income and urbanization of living environment. RESULTS Hierarchical multiple regression analysis showed that income, health status, access to a car and living arrangement affected the level of dietary variety. The perceived level of different food-related resources impacted the consumption of a varied diet over and above actual resource levels. Food-related goals contributed to variety of food intake that was not accounted for by the amount of material resources possessed or the social and other resources perceived to be possessed. CONCLUSIONS Older peoples variety of food intake depended on material resources (e.g. monthly income, access to a car, living arrangement, physical and mental health). However, in addition to these variables, the way older people perceived other resources, such as their level of appetite, their food knowledge, their perception of the distance to the shops, access to high-quality products, having better kitchen facilities, access to good service providers and support from friends and neighbours, all contributed to how varied a diet they ate.

Food access and dietary variety among older people

Decentralisation of many food retailers to edge‐of‐town and out‐of‐town locations has resulted in some older people experiencing difficulty in accessing food shops and those experiencing the greatest difficulties in food shopping are considered to be at the greatest nutritional risk. The present study examines how and to what extent usage of, and physical access to food shops might influence dietary variety. Shopping behaviour and dietary variety are investigated using focus groups, a consumer questionnaire and a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). A dietary variety score system, developed from the FFQ, is employed in this study. Neither usage of (particular) food shops nor basic accessibility variables are found to have a direct effect on dietary variety. Yet, coping strategies employed by older consumers to obtain food are revealed to be important. This suggests that more complex access factors remain an important issue for study in relation to the shopping experience of a proportion of the older population.

Food choice and school meals: primary schoolchildren's perceptions of the healthiness of foods and the nutritional implications of food choices

Abstract Since the 1980 Education Act, school caterers have been operating within a commercial context and therefore can only provide the foods that they know that children will eat. At the same time, nutritionists have been concerned that the greater degree of choice that children now have at lunchtime is resulting in the more frequent consumption of meals of poor nutritional quality. A knowledge of childrens food preferences, the factors influencing them, and their perceptions of the healthiness of foods is needed if school caterers and those involved in nutrition education are to work together to help children choose a nutritionally balanced meal. This paper reports on childrens perceptions of the healthiness or otherwise of foods commonly served at school lunches and the reasons for these perceptions. Childrens knowledge of the sources of nutrients, their understanding of the relationship between food and health, and how their perceptions of healthiness relate to their preferences for the foods are also explored. The nutritional implications of food choices made by primary school children on the basis of preference rather than healthiness are examined. One hundred and twenty three children aged between nine and eleven from 14 different primary schools in SouthEast England took part. Using photographs of foods commonly served at school lunches, the children were asked to rank the foods in order of preference and then according to their perceptions of the healthiness of the foods and give their reasons in each case. The rankings were analysed numerically and the Wilcoxons pairs signed rank test was used to determine the significance of the difference. The qualitative data on the reasons given for the rankings were analysed by assigning them to categories. The children were also asked which foods they would choose for the meal that they would be most likely to eat, and which ones for the meal that they thought would be the most healthy. The nutritional value of the two sets of meals were determined and compared. A student T- test was used to determine the significance of any difference between the two sets of meals. It was found that the children had a clear perception of the healthiness or otherwise of the foods. However, understanding of the relationship between foods or nutrients and health was only occasionally evident, as was the idea of moderation or balance. Some children perceived healthiness as the absence of fat while others saw it in terms of the presence of vitamins. It was also found that there was a strongly inverse relationship between childrens perceptions of the healthiness of foods and their preferences for them. It was found that while the foods chosen for the ‘healthy’ meal were chosen least frequently for the ‘preferred’ meal, there was no significant difference between the percentage of energy provided by fat in the two sets of meals. However the ‘preferred’ meals did in fact provide a significantly higher percentage of the energy as starch, as well as containing greater amounts of some micronutrients. In other respects the ‘healthy’ meals were indeed ‘healthier’, in that they provided greater amounts per megajoule of some important nutrients. It was concluded that teaching about food in primary schools needs to focus on helping children of this age make balanced food choices. It was suggested that the ‘tilted plate’ model, adapted to use foods that children frequently eat and enjoy, could be the basis of such teaching. Such a model could also be used to help caterers plan menus and as the basis of co-operation between nutrition educators and caterers.

Food Habits and Foodwork : The Life Course Perspective of Senior Europeans.

Abstract In this cross-cultural, European study of 644 women and men, aged 65–98 years, food habits and foodwork were examined from a life course perspective. The study is a part of the”Food in Later Life – Choosing foods, eating meals:sustaining independence and quality of life” project, which was carried out in eight European countries using qualitative interviews for data collection. Informants in all eight countries reported experiences of a time when access to food was limited and when foodwork in the household context was extensive. Important transitions and turning points occurred during their lives, and marriage meant that women took on the role of food-givers and men the role of food-receivers. Other changes in relation to food habits and foodwork arose when they were suddenly alone, contracted a disease and retired. Loss of appetite, loneliness, frailty and disease in the last part of life were identified as a transition towards less elaborated meals.

The importance of harmonizing food composition data across Europe

Objective:To examine the role of food composition data in Europe in four sectors, namely health, trade regulation and legislation, agriculture and the environment.Results:The need for further harmonization of data across Europe is clearly identified and evidenced from a number of previous successful European collaborations.Conclusions:Data on the nutritional composition of foods are essential for a broad spectrum of activities, including public health nutrition, research, the food industry and government policy development and implementation. With the expansion of the European Union and the concomitant increase in cross border trade and cooperation harmonizing food composition data becomes a more important issue than ever. Harmonization is not solely a technical issue, but also involves creating durable and sustainable structures to maintain the viability of the data. These are some of the issues currently being addressed by the European Food Information Resource Network of Excellence.

Nutritional risk of European elderly

Background/objectives:The elderly constitute a population group with a high prevalence of non-communicable chronic diseases and high risk of malnutrition. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated to nutritional risk in free-living European elderly.Subjects/methods:The sample included 644 European citizens, free living in the community, aged 65 years or more. The sample was quota controlled for age groups (65–74, ⩾75 years), gender (male/female) and living circumstances (living alone/with others). Logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with nutritional risk.Results:Several variables regarding socio-demographic characteristics, food choice, health status and the satisfaction with food-related life were included in the analysis. According to the recoded score of the ‘Determine your nutritional health’ (NSI checklist), 53% of the elderly were at nutritional risk. Nutritional risk was more likely to occur in elderly who considered that it was more important to choose foods ‘easy to chew’; with lower average number of fruit and vegetables (F&V) intake episodes and lower score for general health. It was also found in non-married participants; those that did not identify changes in their appetite; and those that felt changes in health status. In this sample, the lowest nutritional risk was found for body mass index (BMI) around 18.5 kg/m2. Country of residence, gender and age were not found to have a significant effect on nutritional risk.Conclusions:Attention should be drawn to the living circumstances, changes in appetite or health, the general heath perception, F&V intake, choice of foods easy to chew and having a low or high BMI.

Food hygiene education in UK primary schools: a nation‐wide survey of teachers' views

Purpose – The purpose of this research is to show how a nation‐wide survey of teachers investigated the teaching of food hygiene in primary schools. The survey determined which information sources were known and used by those responsible for teaching food hygiene.Design/methodology/approach – Postal questionnaires were distributed to 3,806 primary schools throughout the UK (response rate 23 per cent). The questionnaire was developed based on the results of in‐depth interviews with school teachers and included topics such as where teachers gained up‐to‐date food hygiene messages, methods used to teach food hygiene, and how key food hygiene messages are reinforced. Teachers cited most preferred resources for teaching food hygiene, influences on the choice of these resources, and limitations on use.Findings – Overall, the results indicated that food hygiene is taught in a number of subject areas, with handwashing and personal hygiene being the principal topics. Teachers use a combination of methods to teach ...

Food safety knowledge and behaviours of children (5-7 years)

Objective: The objective of this study was to determine knowledge of food hygiene amongst young children (5—7 years), and facilitators and barriers to application of knowledge. Few studies exist that explore the knowledge and attitudes of young children towards food hygiene. This is an important age group, as it is a time when attitudes and behaviours are developing, which may then be carried through to adulthood.Design: To determine knowledge, age-appropriate activities were designed, with teachers, based on expected learning outcomes for this age group. In-depth interviews were carried out to determine attitudes towards and barriers to observing hygienic practices.Setting: Infant schools were selected across the United Kingdom, differing in number of children registered, level of deprivation of location, attainment and proportion of children from ethnic minorities.Methods: Activities were completed in 21 schools by 732 children (5—7 years). Interviews were conducted with 30 children.Findings: Children w...