{'fraction_non_alphanumeric': 0.031503579952267304, 'fraction_numerical': 0.012410501193317422, 'mean_word_length': 4.634408602150538, 'pattern_counts': {'":': 0, '<': 1, '<?xml version=': 0, '>': 0, 'https://': 0, 'lorem ipsum': 0, 'www.': 0, 'xml': 0}, 'pii_count': 0, 'substrings_counts': 0, 'word_list_counts': {'cursed_substrings.json': 0, 'profanity_word_list.json': 0, 'sexual_word_list.json': 0, 'zh_pornsignals.json': 0}}
149 Satisfaction with Food-Related Life Of Irish Adults Older Than 55 Years


 
 
 Food is an important part of older people’s life contributing to their physiological and mental well-being and to their satisfaction with life. The aim of this study was to investigate the factors that contribute to the satisfaction with food-related life of Irish community-dwelling adults older than 55 years.
 
 
 
 A mixed methods approach was employed. Quantitative data were collected through a survey which tested how socio-demographic characteristics, food habits, mood and self-perceived health were correlated (Spearman correlation) with the 5 items from the satisfaction with food-related life (SWFL) questionnaire. Qualitative data were collected through open-ended questions which investigated the factors determining food satisfaction levels of the 81 adults (54 women) older than 55 years who participated in the study.
 
 
 
 The highest score (4.3/5) was given to the item from the SWFL questionnaire: “Food and meals are very important elements in my life”, and was regardless of gender, age and marital status of the participants. In contrast, the lowest score (3.9/5) was given to the item “My life in relation to food and meals is ideal”. Spearman’s correlation revealed that fruit consumption was positively correlated “With regard to food, the conditions of my life are excellent” (rho=0.29, p<0.05). The open-ended questions showed that sensory appeal was the most popular term related to food satisfaction levels.
 
 
 
 Meals and food play an important role in older adults’ life; however, participants did not consider their life in relation to meals and food as ideal. Therefore, strategies need to be employed to improve food and meal experience for community-dwelling older adults to keep them healthy for longer. Food industry should focus on developing nutritious and sensory-appealing food for the older consumers. Finally, the finding that consumption of fruit leads to satisfaction with food-related life could be used as a health promotion message to change eating behaviour.
