Importance of satisfaction with food for older adults’ quality of life

Abstract

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among satisfaction with food-related life (SWFL), perceived foodservice quality, and quality of life for older adults.Design/methodology/approach– A survey done using face-to-face interviews of older adults residing in long-term care facilities. A total of 238 older adults participated in this study.Findings– The results showed that perceived foodservice quality had a strong association with SWFL; SWFL had a significant positive association with quality of life; perceived foodservice quality positively related to quality of life. Increased SWFL would improve quality of older adults.Research limitations/implications– This study has limitations related to convenience sample. Different sampling could help with generalization of results.Practical implications– Foodservice managers in long-term care facilitates should try to maximize food and service qualities for residents because improving food and service quality improves their quality of life. For example, offering a variety of menus to allow older adults to enjoy food and improve their SWFL.Originality/value– This study emphasized that food was important to older adults and helped determine quality of life for them. SWFL was rarely empirically examined in the previous research.