Video Chat During Meals to Improve Nutritional Intake in Older Adults

Summary

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Description

The U.S. population is growing older and more adults are aging at home alone, by choice, or due to a lack of affordable senior housing. Older adults who live alone have a less healthy eating pattern, eat a smaller variety of foods and consume fewer fruits and vegetables than those living with others...

The U.S. population is growing older and more adults are aging at home alone, by choice, or due to a lack of affordable senior housing. Older adults who live alone have a less healthy eating pattern, eat a smaller variety of foods and consume fewer fruits and vegetables than those living with others. Additionally, eating alone, social isolation and loneliness often accompany living alone and are independent risk factors for lower caloric intake, less variety in the diet and malnutrition. Community-based interventions are needed to improve the nutritional status of older adults living alone. VideoDining uses video chat during mealtimes to virtually eat with another person and could provide social interactions and modeling to improve dietary intake in older adults eating alone. Extensive observational and experimental research shows that people eat more when dining with others than dining alone, called the social facilitation of eating. Additionally, a dining partner's modeling of eating can provide a guide for what and how much to eat. The investigators have conducted a Stage IA proof-of-concept study of VideoDining in older adults and will expand the development of this behavioral intervention with this study. The goals are to determine the feasibility and acceptability of VideoDining and to evaluate changes in nutritional intake and loneliness in response to multiple VideoDining sessions in community-dwelling older adults eating alone at home. In this single-arm intervention study, thirty older adult Meals on Wheels participants will be scheduled to VideoDine with a dining partner six times. Using a mixed-methods approach, the investigators will collect data on older adults' ability to VideoDine, acceptance of VideoDining, dietary intake, and loneliness. Data will be collected before starting VideoDining, after each VideoDining session, and at the end of the study period. Development, adaptation and refinement of the VideoDining intervention are additional key outcomes of this study.

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