Focus group interviews with older Australians to explore their awareness of the national age-adjusted dietary recommendations and their suggestions for assisting them to meet these dietary targets

Promoting a healthy, nutritious diet is central to the goal of assisting individuals to age well. This study used focus groups to explore older people's awareness of the current age-adjusted nutrient recommendations and age-adjusted core food groups, and to capture their views about these dieta...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Australian journal of primary health 2014-01, Vol.20 (2), p.182-187
Main Authors: Brownie, Sonya, Coutts, Rosanne
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Age
Age groups
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Aggregate level data
Assistance
Attitudes
Australia
Australian people
Campaigns
Data analysis
Diet
Diet - methods
Energy Intake - physiology
Female
Focus group interviews
Focus groups
Focus Groups - methods
Food
Health Behavior
Health care
Health Communication - methods
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice
Health Promotion - methods
Healthy food
Humans
Interviews as Topic - methods
Male
Malnutrition
Mens health
Metabolism
Middle Aged
National guidelines
Nutrients
Nutrition Policy
Nutrition research
Nutritional Requirements - physiology
Older people
Packaging
Parenteral nutrition
Population
Proteins
Women
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Summary:Promoting a healthy, nutritious diet is central to the goal of assisting individuals to age well. This study used focus groups to explore older people's awareness of the current age-adjusted nutrient recommendations and age-adjusted core food groups, and to capture their views about these dietary guidelines. Thematic analysis was applied to aggregate data into categories of frequently occurring responses. Data were collected from five focus groups: a total of 29 participants, aged 60-98 years of age. Analysis of responses revealed that participants were generally unaware of government-endorsed dietary guidelines or nutrient recommendations for older people. Their suggestions for assisting older people to meet these age-adjusted dietary targets included: targeted media campaigns to raise awareness about older people's nutrient requirements; the need for practical meal plans that do meet their dietary needs; and the removal of barriers to supermarket food choices, such as problems with opening jars and excessive packaging.
ISSN:1448-7527
1836-7399
DOI:10.1071/PY13008