Assessing nutrition education wants and needs of older adults through focus groups.

Five focus groups assessed the nutrition education wants and needs of 37 non-institutionalized older adults ages 60 and older. Discussions were tape-recorded, transcribed and coded to facilitate data analysis. Findings cited most frequently included; doctors were influential, nutrition contributed to good health, basic nutrition topics were wanted/needed, written materials were used most often, demonstration and discussion methods were prevalently used/wanted, and service providers were primarily informed directly about wants/needs. Older adults wanted/needed nutrition education to improve their health and make informed decisions, and because the topic interested them. Information obtained could be used to develop more focused nutrition education programs for older adults.