Browning Colette J, Qiu Zeqi, Yang Hui, Zhang Touhong, Thomas Shane A
Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
International Primary Health Care Research Institute, Shenzhen, China.
Front Public Health. 2019 Apr 5;7:73. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2019.00073. eCollection 2019.
China's government and its people have for a long time focused on food security for its population as one of the most important issues in economic and social development. Many older people in China have lived in times when food security was not stable. Thus, while food has a central position in Chinese culture for all Chinese people, it is of particular pertinence to older people. In this paper we explore the meaning of food and eating in the lives of older Chinese people in China and how it contributes to healthy, thus happy aging. Focus groups and qualitative interviews were used in this study. Participants were recruited from the rural Yongfu Province of Southwest China, and the urban Fangzhuang and Haidan districts in Beijing. Forty-two participants were recruited aged 62-83 years of age. All focus groups and interviews were conducted in Mandarin and audiotaped with the participants' permission. Audio-tapes were transcribed by a Chinese speaking researcher and then were translated into English. Data were analyzed continuously and comparatively, transcripts were coded, and themes and sub-themes were identified. The initial analysis and interpretation were then presented and discussed at a workshop with all the authors. Two major themes emerged-the quantity of food and the quality of food required to have a happy old age. Participants discussed the desire to eat "until you are full" because of their experiences of famine during childhood. However, they also believed that as an older person they should eat less for their health, particularly less high fat foods. The importance of the food quality and food affordability was also discussed. Grain and meat were characterized as "good" foods and important in their diets for a happy old age. The participants, especially those from urban areas, were concerned with food safety. The high cultural importance of food for older Chinese in China was confirmed in this study. Social and economic lifespan experiences continue to impact on the food and eating attitudes and practices of older Chinese. The food related life experiences of older Chinese in China are quite different from younger Chinese and health promotion messaging needs to be informed by these unique perspectives in order to maximize its effectiveness.
中国政府及其人民长期以来一直将民众的粮食安全视为经济和社会发展中最重要的问题之一。中国许多老年人经历过粮食安全不稳定的时期。因此，尽管食物在中国文化中对所有中国人都具有核心地位，但对老年人而言尤为重要。在本文中，我们探讨了食物和饮食在中国老年人生活中的意义，以及它们如何有助于实现健康、从而幸福的老龄化。本研究采用了焦点小组和定性访谈的方法。参与者招募自中国西南部的农村永福省以及北京的城市方庄和海淀区。招募了42名年龄在62至83岁之间的参与者。所有焦点小组和访谈均用普通话进行，并在参与者允许的情况下进行了录音。录音由一位会说中文的研究人员转录，然后翻译成英文。对数据进行了持续和比较分析，对转录本进行了编码，并确定了主题和子主题。然后，在与所有作者共同参与的研讨会上展示并讨论了初步分析和解读结果。出现了两个主要主题——拥有幸福晚年所需的食物数量和食物质量。参与者们讨论了因为童年时期经历过饥荒而想要“吃到饱”的愿望。然而，他们也认为作为老年人，为了健康应该少吃，尤其是少吃高脂肪食物。还讨论了食物质量和食物可承受性的重要性。谷物和肉类被视为“优质”食物，对他们幸福的晚年饮食很重要。参与者，尤其是来自城市地区的参与者，关注食品安全。本研究证实了食物在中国老年人群体中具有高度的文化重要性。社会和经济寿命经历继续影响着中国老年人的饮食态度和习惯。中国老年人与食物相关的生活经历与年轻人有很大不同，健康促进信息需要依据这些独特视角来制定，以便使其效果最大化。
