Division of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
Department of Community and Behavioral Health, University of Iowa College of Public Health, Iowa City, Iowa; University of Iowa Public Policy Center, Iowa City, Iowa.
J Acad Nutr Diet. 2023 Apr;123(4):602-613.e5. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2022.08.131. Epub 2022 Aug 31.
The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic affected food availability and accessibility for many older adults, especially those experiencing food insecurity. Food citizenship is a theoretical framework that encourages the use of alternate over industrial food sources and can characterize where foods are acquired and how food choices are made.
The purpose of this study is to explore how Iowans aged 50 years and older made choices about what foods to acquire and where to acquire foods during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic using food citizenship as a theoretical framework.
We used in-depth interviews with Iowans aged 50 years and older (N = 60).
We recruited respondents through Area Agencies on Aging, food banks, and food pantries. Individuals who contacted the research team, were aged 50 years and older, and spoke English were eligible. Half of the sample screened as food insecure.
We conducted a thematic analysis to identify recurring themes.
Food costs, personal preferences, and the healthfulness of food were cited as the most influential factors. Respondents said that the pandemic had not changed how they make choices, but increased prices had made costs more salient. Respondents primarily got their food from industrial food retailers, government programs, or food pantries. More than half of the respondents also acquired food from an alternate food source, such as a farmers' market. Reasons for not using alternate food sources included cost and transportation barriers.
It is essential to ensure that older adults have access to affordable, healthy foods, especially during crises such as the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. Alternate food sources provided supplementary, healthy food for many respondents, but there are opportunities to expand the use of these food sources. Incentivizing the use of alternate food sources through government programs and connecting the emergency food system to local producers could increase the consumption of healthy food.
2019 年冠状病毒病大流行影响了许多老年人的食物供应和可及性，尤其是那些经历食物不安全的老年人。食物公民身份是一个理论框架，鼓励使用替代工业食物来源，并可以描述食物的获取地点和食物选择的方式。
本研究旨在探讨爱荷华州 50 岁及以上的老年人如何在 2019 年冠状病毒病大流行期间使用食物公民身份作为理论框架来选择获取食物的种类和地点。
我们对爱荷华州 50 岁及以上的老年人（N=60）进行了深入访谈。
我们通过地区老龄化机构、食品银行和食品分发处招募受访者。符合以下条件的个人有资格参与研究：联系研究团队，年龄在 50 岁及以上，且会说英语。有一半的受访者被筛查为食物不安全。
我们进行了主题分析以识别反复出现的主题。
食物成本、个人偏好和食物的健康性被认为是最具影响力的因素。受访者表示，大流行并没有改变他们的选择方式，但价格上涨使成本更加突出。受访者主要从工业食品零售商、政府计划或食品分发处获取食物。超过一半的受访者还从替代食物来源（如农贸市场）获取食物。不使用替代食物来源的原因包括成本和交通障碍。
在 2019 年冠状病毒病大流行等危机期间，确保老年人能够获得负担得起的健康食品至关重要。替代食物来源为许多受访者提供了补充性的健康食品，但仍有机会扩大这些食物来源的使用。通过政府计划鼓励使用替代食物来源，并将紧急食品系统与当地生产者联系起来，可以增加健康食品的消费。
