Ninety people, aged 60 and older, were interviewed regarding
their shopping habits, use of convenience foods, frequency of food
use and reasons for food preferences. The relation of income level
and education level to reasons for food use was also investigated.
The major source of purchased food was the chain supermarket.
Shopping was done primarily on a once a week basis. The food
groups purchased most frequently were fruits and vegetables, and
milk and milk products. The primary determinants of these shopping
patterns were food quality, economy, and convenience.
Convenience foods were widely used by the elderly study
subjects. They were valued for their ease of preparation. Income
level did not influence the choice of market place or the use of
convenience foods.
More than three fourths of the subjects used some form of
milk each day. Low fat milks were most popular. Ground beef and
chicken were the most frequently used meats. Beef steaks and
roasts and all forms of pork were also well liked. The fruits, in
general, were well liked and used on a regular basis. Green beans
were the most frequently used vegetable on a weekly basis; lettuce
the most frequently used vegetable on a daily basis. With one
exception, enriched breads were consumed daily by all subjects.
The dry, unsweetened cereals were the most frequently used form
of cereal. A preference was found for margarine and oil over
butter, shortening, cream, and lard. Coffee, tea, fruit and vegetable
juices were all consumed frequently. Soft drinks, artificially
sweetened drinks and alcoholic beverages were less acceptable to
the elderly.
Sensory reasons and the degree of preparation required by a
food item were the two most frequently given reasons for food
selection. Health considerations were also important to the older
people who were both weight conscious and concerned about heart
disease. Neither income level nor educational level had an influence
on the reasons given for food use. / Graduation date: 1975
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ORGSU/oai:ir.library.oregonstate.edu:1957/26957 |
| Date | 05 May 1975 |
| Creators | Burson, Janet Zimmerman |
| Contributors | Yearick, Elisabeth S. |
| Source Sets | Oregon State University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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