scholarly journals Food portions and consumer vulnerability: qualitative insights from older consumers

2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 435-455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicholas Ford ◽  
Paul Trott ◽  
Christopher Simms
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Older Consumers ◽  
Consumer Vulnerability ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Influence Of Food ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Packaged Food

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore older people’s food consumption experiences. Specifically, the paper seeks to provide understanding on the influence of food intake on consumer vulnerability and how this manifests within people’s lives. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts an interpretive, exploratory approach, using in-depth interviews with 20 older consumers in the UK. Thematic analysis is conducted, establishing patterns and contradictions with the data. Findings The findings demonstrate how biological, psychological and social age-related changes can contribute to reduced food intake in later life. The loss of control over one’s consumption experiences as a result of inappropriate portion sizes acts as a source of both immediate and future vulnerability. Resultant food wastage can serve as an immediate reminder of negative associates with ageing, while the accumulative effect of sustained under-consumption contributes to increased frailty. As a result, consumer vulnerability can pervade other contexts of an individual’s life. Practical implications The research reveals opportunities for firms to use packaging development to reduce experiences of consumer vulnerability through reduced apportionment of packaged food products. However, this needs to be considered within a multi-demographic marketplace. Originality/value This paper contributes to literature by providing a unique lens with which to understand consumer vulnerability. The findings offer a developmental perspective on the experience of consumer vulnerability, revealing the stages of proximate, immediate, intermediate and ultimate vulnerability. This perspective has the potential to offer more detailed, nuanced insights into vulnerability in other contexts beyond food consumption.

Socio-economic disadvantage and poverty

2020 ◽  
pp. 105-114
Author(s):  
Alisoun Milne
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Poverty Line ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Economic Disadvantage ◽  
Fundamental Building Block ◽  
Age Related ◽  
The Uk ◽  
State Pension ◽  
The Impact

Chapter 5 is the first of three chapters exploring the impact of age related risks affecting particular sub populations of older people. Socioeconomic disadvantage in later life tends to reflect a lifecourse status. It amplifies what is already present. In 2016/17 one million older people were living in poverty; an additional 1.2 million were living just above the poverty line. These numbers are rising. Those aged 85 years or over, frail older people, older women and single older people are particularly at risk. Poor older people are also more likely to live in poor housing and be exposed to fuel poverty. Being poor - and its concomitants - compromises mental health in a number of profound ways. It undermines an older person’s capacity to make choices, retain independence, save for a crisis, maintain social contacts and be digitally included. It is linked with worry, loss of control over life and shame. Poor older people are at heightened risk of isolation and loneliness, stress, anxiety and depression. The UK has a weak policy record, compared with other developed countries, of sustainably and coherently addressing poverty in later life. One of the cornerstones of doing so is a continued commitment to the basic state pension as a fundamental building block of a secure old age. Addressing poor housing is also pivotal.

scholarly journals Food intake of European adolescents in the light of different food-based dietary guidelines: results of the HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) Study

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 386-398 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katharina Diethelm ◽  
Nicole Jankovic ◽  
Luis A Moreno ◽  
Inge Huybrechts ◽  
Stefaan De Henauw ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Dietary Habits ◽  
Healthy Lifestyle ◽  
Meat Products ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Public Health Importance ◽  
Cross Sectional

AbstractObjectiveSince inadequate food consumption patterns during adolescence are not only linked with the occurrence of obesity in youth but also with the subsequent risk of developing diseases in adulthood, the establishment and maintenance of a healthy diet early in life is of great public health importance. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to describe and evaluate the food consumption of a well-characterized sample of European adolescents against food-based dietary guidelines for the first time.DesignThe HELENA (Healthy Lifestyle in Europe by Nutrition in Adolescence) Study is a cross-sectional study, whose main objective was to obtain comparable data on a variety of nutritional and health-related parameters in adolescents aged 12·5–17·5 years.SettingTen cities in Europe.SubjectsThe initial sample consisted of more than 3000 European adolescents. Among these, 1593 adolescents (54 % female) had sufficient and plausible dietary data on energy and food intakes from two 24 h recalls using the HELENA-DIAT software.ResultsFood intake of adolescents in Europe is not optimal compared with the two food-based dietary guidelines, Optimized Mixed Diet and Food Guide Pyramid, examined in this study. Adolescents eat half of the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables and less than two-thirds of the recommended amount of milk (and milk products), but consume much more meat (and meat products), fats and sweets than recommended. However, median total energy intake may be estimated to be nearly in line with the recommendations.ConclusionThe results urge the need to improve the dietary habits of adolescents in order to maintain health in later life.

Third sector partnerships for older people: insights from live at home schemes in the UK

2018 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 148-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olumide Adisa
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Third Sector ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Health And Social Care ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
The Uk ◽  
At Home

Purpose While there is a rich literature on the role of partnerships between statutory agencies and third sector organisations for public service delivery in health and social care, the evidence base on, partnerships between community-based groups and charities for older people in the UK is lacking. Drawing on quantitative and qualitative data, the purpose of this paper is to examines partnerships within 46 live at home (LAH) schemes. These schemes were specifically designed to tackle isolation and promote independence and wellbeing by providing a wide range of activities, based on the needs of its members. Design/methodology/approach This study is based on an online survey of 46 LAH schemes and face-to-face interviews with seven scheme managers to capture data on the various partnership initiatives within the LAH schemes. Findings Third sector partnerships for older people varied by type – formal, semi-formal and informal. In addition, third sector partnership working fosters the achievement of clear outcomes for older people who LAH and could be a mechanism for building social capital in communities. The study also identified barriers to developing third sector partnerships within this context. Mapping existing partnerships in LAH schemes were considered to be useful in engaging with partners. LAH scheme managers were better able to identify partnerships that could be deepened and broadened, depending on the desired outcomes. Originality/value To the author’s knowledge, there are few studies on third sector partnership working in LAH schemes for older people. According to Age UK, there are 1.2m chronically lonely older people in the UK. Over half of all people aged 75 and over live alone (ONS, 2015). Loneliness and social isolation in later life are considered to be two of the largest health concerns we face. Scaling up these third sector partnerships may offer a credible way to shore up support for older people who live alone or want to live at home.

Why do older consumers avoid innovative products and services?

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyeyoon Bae ◽  
Sang Hyun Jo ◽  
Euehun Lee
Keyword(s):  
Stereotype Threat ◽  
Older Individuals ◽  
Consumer Innovativeness ◽  
Self Monitoring ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Older Consumers ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Age Related ◽  
Adoption Of Innovation ◽  
Innovative Products

Purpose The purpose of this study is to advance the understanding of consumer innovativeness during aging. This study explores why older consumers have decreased innovativeness and how awareness of age-related change affects the adoption of innovation. Design/methodology/approach A survey was conducted on 200 older consumers aged 50 and older to investigate whether awareness of age-related change influences innovativeness. Findings The results show that awareness of age-related change causes older consumers to have a decreased tendency to adopt novel products. Moreover, the stereotype threat of older consumers is found to play a mediating role. Older individuals who sense they are negatively viewed as older people restrict their innovativeness to avoid situations that would confirm their incompetence to others. Furthermore, the effects of older consumers’ stereotype threat on innovativeness are moderated by self-monitoring. Older consumers who exhibit high self-monitoring cope with stereotype threat by showing increased innovativeness; however, the opposite effect occurs in older consumers with low self-monitors. Originality/value The findings deepen the understanding of older adults’ consumption behavior regarding innovative products and show why people are reluctant to adopt innovative products and services because they grow older by identifying the underlying process that hinders customer innovativeness.

How do university workers eat at the workplace?

2018 ◽  
Vol 48 (2) ◽  
pp. 194-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
João Lima ◽  
Sofia Costa ◽  
Ada Rocha
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Work Environment ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Daily Intake ◽  
Nutritional Intake ◽  
Inform Consent ◽  
Consumer Awareness ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Daily Energy

Purpose Food consumed at work can be brought from home or taken in private or university restaurants. Knowing the contribution of food consumption in the workplace allows for the identification of bad practices to modulate food availability in the work environment and raise consumer awareness for a more balanced food intake. This paper aims to characterize food consumption and to determine the contribution of food consumption at the workplace to daily food intake of employees of the University of Porto (UP). Design/methodology/approach A cross-sectional observational study was conducted. The project was approved by Ethical Commission of the UP. The principles of Helsínquia Declaration were respected and the workers under examine accept to participate in the study, through an inform consent. Data were obtained through the application of a self-administrated questionnaire and through the application of a questionnaire including a 24 h recall. There were assessed 513 individuals randomly selected, and the majority of them were women. Findings In total, 92.8 per cent of them preferred to have meals at the workplace that contributed to about 39.6 per cent of the daily energy intake. Reported food consumption at the workplace contributed about 42.6 per cent of carbohydrates, 39.4 per cent of total fat and 36.8 per cent of proteins for daily intake. A low intake of water (39.2 per cent of whole ingestion) and a huge amount and contribution of the workplace (48.4 per cent) to daily sugar intake was observed. Higher nutritional intake was observed for women (p < 0.05). The energy contribution of meals at the workplace is in accordance with recommendations, except for breakfast, that is below. Originality/value This work allows to characterize food habits of university employees at the workplace and the identification of the contribution of meals eaten at the workplace for daily energy and nutritional intake. These data allow to modulate food availability in the work environment and raise consumer awareness for a more balanced food intake.

Ultra-processed Food Consumption and Incident Frailty: A Prospective Cohort Study of Older Adults

2019 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 1126-1133 ◽  
Author(s):  
Helena Sandoval-Insausti ◽  
Ruth Blanco-Rojo ◽  
Auxiliadora Graciani ◽  
Esther López-García ◽  
Belén Moreno-Franco ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older Adults ◽  
Cohort Study ◽  
Food Intake ◽  
Food Consumption ◽  
Prospective Cohort Study ◽  
Prospective Cohort ◽  
Community Dwelling ◽  
Processed Foods ◽  
Processed Food ◽  
Age Related

Abstract Background Ultra-processed food intake has been associated with chronic conditions and mortality. The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between ultra-processed food intake and incident frailty in community-dwelling older adults. Methods Prospective cohort study with 1,822 individuals aged at least 60 years who were recruited during 2008–2010 in Spain. At baseline, food consumption was obtained using a validated computerized face-to-face dietary history. Ultra-processed foods were identified according to the nature and extent of their industrial processing (NOVA classification). In 2012, incident frailty was ascertained based on Fried’s criteria. Statistical analyses were performed with logistic regression and adjusted for the main potential confounders. Results After a mean follow-up of 3.5 years, 132 cases of frailty were identified. The fully adjusted risks of frailty across increasing quartiles of the percentage of total energy intake from ultra-processed foods were the following: 0.04 (0.02–0.05), 0.05 (0.03–0.07), 0.09 (0.07–0.12), and 0.11 (0.08–0.14). Results were similar when food consumption was expressed as gram per day/body weight. Regarding ultra-processed food groups, the highest versus the lowest tertiles of consumption of yogurts and fermented milks, cakes and pastries, as well as nonalcoholic beverages (instant coffee and cocoa, packaged juices, and other nonalcoholic drinks, excluding soft drinks) were also significantly related to incident frailty. Conclusions Consumption of ultra-processed foods is strongly associated with frailty risk in older adults. Substituting unprocessed or minimally processed foods for ultra-processed foods would play an important role in the prevention of age-related frailty. Trial registration NCT02804672.

scholarly journals The 1960s baby boomers: future needs and preferences

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 215-223 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aideen Young ◽  
Anthea Tinker
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Baby Boomers ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Working Lives ◽  
Key Policy ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Function

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to consider the likely needs and priorities of the 1960s baby boomers in later life (defined as those born in this country between 1960 and 1969 inclusive), based on their characteristics outlined in the accompanying paper. Design/methodology/approach A non-systematic search of academic and grey literature plus key policy and statistical data from sources including the Office for National Statistics to identify studies and data relevant to people born in the 1960s in the UK. Findings The 1960s baby boomers are characterised by high levels of education and technological proficiency and a youthful self-image. They have longer working lives and display greater levels of consumption than previous cohorts. These attributes will likely make this a highly demanding group of older people. Maintaining their health and function is important to this group so there is a scope for products that enable active and healthy ageing. Relatively high levels of childlessness may give rise to innovative housing solutions. At the same time, products that help the baby boomers stay independent at home will help alleviate pressure on social care. Originality/value There has been little examination of the needs of the 1960s baby boomers in the UK. Given that they stand on the brink of later life, it is timely to consider their likely needs as older people. In view of the size of this cohort, this group’s requirements in later life provide a significant opportunity for businesses to fill the current gaps in the market. Moreover, in the context of increasing neoliberalism, innovations that reduce the dependence of this large cohort on the state and facilitate self-reliance will benefit individuals and society.

scholarly journals Army wives’ consumer vulnerability and communities of coping

2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (11) ◽  
pp. 2849-2871
Author(s):  
Helen L. Bruce ◽  
Emma Banister
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Support ◽  
Armed Forces ◽  
Military Spouses ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Enlisted Personnel ◽  
Shared Experiences ◽  
Army Wives ◽  
Consumer Vulnerability ◽  
The Uk ◽  
And Coping

Purpose The spouses or partners of serving members of the UK Armed Forces are often subject to similar constraints to those of enlisted personnel. This paper aims to examine the experiences and wellbeing of a group of army wives. In particular, it focuses on their shared experiences of consumer vulnerability and related challenges, exploring the extent to which membership of military wives’ communities can help them to cope. Design/methodology/approach Using an interpretivist approach, data were collected through four focus group discussions involving 30 army wives, and seven individual in-depth interviews. Findings The paper highlights shared experiences of consumer vulnerability and demonstrates how army wives’ approaches to coping incorporate both individual and community-based approaches. It proposes that communities of coping develop within the army wives community, providing women with both practical and emotional support. Research limitations/implications The paper acknowledges that there is a range of factors that will impact military spouses’ experiences of consumer vulnerability and strategies for coping. This heterogeneity was difficult to capture within a small exploratory study. Practical implications The UK Government should consider their duties towards military spouses and children. This would entail a significant cultural shift and recognition of military personnel’s caring responsibilities. Originality/value This research contributes to understandings regarding the potentially shared nature of both consumer vulnerability and coping strategies. The study introduces the relevance of communities of coping to consumer contexts, highlighting how members can benefit from both practical and emotional support.

scholarly journals Who are the baby boomers of the 1960s?

2017 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 197-205 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aideen Young ◽  
Anthea Tinker
Keyword(s):  
Baby Boomer ◽  
Home Ownership ◽  
Grey Literature ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Lifestyle Changes ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Usa ◽  
The 1960S ◽  
Term Baby ◽  
The Uk

Purpose The 8.3 million babies who were born during the 1960s in the UK are 48-57 years old. With growing concern about population ageing, and the oldest of this large cohort on the brink of later life, it is timely to provide an overview of selected characteristics of this cohort in order to help predict likely needs and choices for services and products in later life. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach A synthesis (non-systematic) of the academic and grey literature plus data from various sources including the Office for National Statistics was used to construct a picture of the 1960s baby boomer. Findings Characteristics with the potential to signify lifestyle changes among this, compared with previous, cohorts of older people include: a higher probability of living alone in old age due to high rates of childlessness and divorce; a possibly larger proportion of their lives spent with one or more chronic conditions, although the prevalence of disability affecting activities of daily living is lower than for previous cohorts; high levels of home ownership; increased rates of employment at older ages; but reduced wealth compared with previous cohorts. Originality/value The term baby boomer is generally used to denote people born in the undifferentiated surge of births that occurred in the USA between 1946 and 1964. In the UK, post Second World War spike in births was followed by a separate, broad surge in births across the 1960s but there has been very little analysis specifically of the 1960s cohort in this country. This paper addresses that gap, by bringing together the available evidence and data on this specific cohort in the UK.

scholarly journals Risk time framing for wellbeing in older people: a multi-national appreciative inquiry

2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 44-53
Author(s):  
Charlotte Laura Clarke ◽  
Mike Titterton ◽  
Jane Wilcockson ◽  
Jane Reed ◽  
Wendy Moyle ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Older People ◽  
Appreciative Inquiry ◽  
Perceived Risk ◽  
Later Life ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Perceptions Of Risk ◽  
Individual Interviews ◽  
Time Horizons ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Societal Responsibility

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the experience of older people and their sense of developing wellbeing, including consideration of the strategies they employ to respond to perceived risk. Design/methodology/approach An Appreciative Inquiry study was used, which collected data with 58 participants in focus group and individual interviews. Interviews focussed on ways in which older people in South Africa, Australia, Germany and the UK understand and seek to maintain wellbeing. Findings The changing time horizons of older people lead to perceptions of risk and concerns that embrace societal as well as individual concerns. Often, this leads to a sense of societal responsibility and desire for social change, which is frustrated by a perceived exclusion from participation in society. Social implications In mental health practice and education, it is imperative to embrace the shift from ageist concerns (with later life viewed as risky and tragic in itself) towards a greater sensitivity for older people’s resilience, the strategies they deploy to maintain this, and their desire for more control and respect for their potential to contribute to society. Originality/value Variation in time horizons leads to changes in temporal accounting, which may be under-utilised by society. Consequently, societies may not recognise and support the resilience of older people to the detriment of older people as individuals and to the wider society.

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