Abstract
Over the past decade, Thailand has experienced a rapid increase in its elderly population. Many unfavorable health outcomes among elderly people are associated with nutrition. Nutrition in elderly people is affected by physical, mental, and social factors. This study explored the food choices and dietary practices among community-dwelling elderly people in Thailand from the perspective of both caregivers and the elderly people themselves. Six focus group discussions and six semistructured interviews were conducted in the Samut Sakhon Province of Thailand. Deductive thematic analyses were conducted based on the “food choice process model framework.” The results show that physical and mental factors and societal factors are important determinants of food choices. Moreover, a changing food environment and economic factors were found to affect food choices. Issues of trust in food safety and food markets were highlighted as growing issues. Therefore, fostering healthy food choice interventions that consider both environmental and societal aspects is necessary.
Highlights
There is rapid growth in the elderly population
This study focused on informal caregivers because this group represents the main caregiver group for elderly people in Asian countries instead of paid or formal caregivers [3,28]
This study offers a thorough understanding of food choices among elderly people in such a setting, namely Thailand
Summary
There is rapid growth in the elderly population. The number of elderly people aged 65 years and over has increased from 6% in 1990 to 9% in 2019 [1]. People are considered to be a group vulnerable to adverse health outcomes. Many elderly people experience a reduction in their physical and mental abilities [2] and require assistance with their daily activities, such as providing food for eating [3]. The thoughts and opinions of caregivers should be considered as an important part of elderly people’s lives. People with poor physical and mental health are likely to suffer various unfavorable outcomes [4]. Good nutritional status is one of the key components for sustaining a healthy life
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