Nevin Cohen, the Institute’s research director, and DPH student Kristen Cribbs have published an article in the Journal of Aging Studies on their findings from a research study of the cooking practices of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) older adults living in a community setting in New York City.
They found that past interventions at the individual level have not adequately improved nutrition among LGBT older adults.
Using Social Practice Theory to explore the food practices of this under-researched, yet vulnerable, segment of the older adult population they found that food practices—far from being mere expressions of individuals’ choices or immutable habits—are entities composed of meanings, materials, and competences that are structured as they are performed repeatedly in a social context. Gaining insight into how and why diverse older adults perform food practices in light of obstacles common to aging has important implications for senior nutrition program and policy development
The article is free and available for download here.
Cohen N, Cribbs K. The everyday food practices of community-dwelling Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) older adults. Journal of Aging Studies. 2017. Vol 41:75-83 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2017.05.002