Healthy Eating 27In a further study of the elderly in the US, 474 noninstitutionalized
individuals with ages from 65 to 98 were interviewed about their food intake
in the previous 24 hours (Ryan, Craig, and Fin, 1992). The data were
analyzed to explore their diets in terms of food group intake and vitamin
consumption. The results showed that a large percentage showed intakes
of energy and nutrients which were below the recommended amounts.
In addition, a large minority of men and women had poor intakes of
vitamin E, calcium, and zinc, and a large minority of men also had poor
intakes of vitamin A. In a qualitative study, Hughes et al. (2004) explored
some of the reasons why older men in particular have poorer diets and
reported a role for poor cooking skills and low motivation to change eating
habits. Although, interestingly, in the quantitative component of the study
better cooking skills were related to better physical health and a higher con-
sumption of vegetables, they were also associated with lower energy intake.
Overall, research exploring the diets of the elderly indicates that although
many younger and noninstitutionalized members of this group have
satisfactory diets, many, particularly the older elderly, report diets which
are deficient in vitamins, are too low in energy, and have poor nutrient
content.
The Impact of Health Concerns
So far this chapter has illustrated the impact of diet on health in terms of
both the onset and management of illness. In line with this, health educa-
tion campaigns currently provide information on what constitutes a healthy
diet which emphasizes health as a motivation for eating behavior. There is
also a significant increase in the number of foods available that are marketed
as being healthy. These include “healthy options” with low-fat and/or
low-salt content and specific food products designed to lower cholesterol
or protect against cancer or heart disease. Some television programs also
focus on healthy eating and how to cook healthy foods. But are people really
motivated by concerns about their health?
The research evidence indicates that people are motivated by health in
contradictory ways. For example, the existence of such health products
and TV programs suggests there is a growing interest in, and market for,
healthy foods, so health must be a motivation for some people (Rappoport,
2003). However, at the same time, the population is becoming heavier, more
people are eating out rather than cooking at home, and the consumption