Food-related experience of
older Indonesian women

Project information

Year: 2021 - present

Role: Principal investigator - study development, data collection, data analysis, and research dissemination

Collaborator: Lynne Dearborn, PhD (advisor)

Challenge

Globally, the population of adults aged 65 and over is projected to reach 16% by 2050 and 23% by 2100 [1]. As humans approach old age, age-related decline is more recognizable and greatly impacts quality of life. Hence, adequate support is critical to maintaining older adults’ health and independence, especially in the home environment. Aging in place at home is most often preferred by older adults [2, 3]. They spend the majority (≥70%) of their time at home, where they conduct various everyday activities [4]. Food-related activities, such as cooking, are central to older adults’ health. However, declining physical and cognitive capacities may lead to restricted mobility, increasing the risk for food insecurities [5]. Such risk is more prevalent for older women, as food-related activities have generally been considered women's work, especially since they are more likely to live alone or act as primary caregivers [6]. Therefore, the spaces for older women to conduct food-related activities should match their changing needs [7].

This dissertation study looks at the range of food-related activities that take place in the home environment to examine older women's personal and environmental adaptation strategies employed to maintain their health and independence. I seek to answer two questions,

(1) what is the sociocultural context that influences food-related activities?

(2) how do older women's personal capacity and built environmental conditions interact in adapting to changes?

Process

Domains of food-related activities

Data collection

Mapping older women’s experience

Analysis process

Preliminary findings

Generating theory grounded in the data (Glaser & Strauss, 1967)

Acknowledgement

This study is funded by:

  • Barbara A. Yates Fellowship

  • AIA Design for Aging Fellowship

  • Rita and Arnold Goodman Fellowship

This study is approved by the Office for the Protection of Research Subjects at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (IRB #22082)

References

[1] United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. (2019). World Population Prospects 2019: Highlights (ST/ESA/SER.A/423). United Nations. https://population.un.org/wpp/Publications/Files/WPP2019_Highlights.pdf

[2] Binette, J., & Vasold, K. (2018). 2018 Home and Community Preferences: A National Survey of Adults Age 18-Plus. AARP Research. https://doi.org/10.26419/res.00231.001

[3] Stones, D., & Gullifer, J. (2016). ‘At home it’s just so much easier to be yourself’: Older adults’ perceptions of ageing in place. Ageing & Society, 36(3), 449–481. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X14001214

[4] Spalt, E. W., Curl, C. L., Allen, R. W., Cohen, M., Adar, S. D., Stukovsky, K. H., Avol, E., Castro-Diehl, C., Nunn, C., Mancera-Cuevas, K., & Kaufman, J. D. (2016). Time–location patterns of a diverse population of older adults: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and Air Pollution (MESA Air). Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology, 26(4), 349–355. https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2015.29

[5] Wolfe, W. S., Olson, C. M., Kendall, A., & Frongillo, E. A. (1996). Understanding food insecurity in the elderly: A Conceptual Framework. Journal of Nutrition Education, 28(2), 92– 100. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0022-3182(96)70034-1

[6] Sidenvall, B., Nydahl, M., & Fjellström, C. (2001). Managing food shopping and cooking: The experiences of older Swedish women. Ageing and Society, 21(2), 151–168. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0144686X01008121

[7] Maguire, M., Peace, S., Nicolle, C., Marshall, R., Sims, R., Percival, J., & Lawton, C. (2014). Kitchen living in later life: Exploring ergonomic problems, coping strategies and design solutions. International Journal of Design, 8(1), 73–91.