Grant: Summer Program in Aging

One-third of Canadians over the age of 65 who live at home, in their communities, are at increased nutritional risk. Nutritional risk is the risk of poor food and beverage intake. The consequences of increased nutritional risk include increased frailty, decreased quality of life, increased hospitalization, and higher mortality rates. Many social network changes occur with aging that can affect dietary intake and therefore nutritional risk. Some changes may involve living circumstances (for example, living alone), widowhood, participation in community activities, and support from others. While there have been studies examining the social network factors associated with nutritional risk, there is a lack of studies investigating the social network factors associated with changes in nutritional risk. Also, few studies have looked at whether a program designed to improve social network connections can improve nutritional risk. This research will attempt to address those gaps. This study, therefore, aims at discovering the social network factors associated with nutritional risk and changes in nutritional risk, and whether a program designed to improve social network connections can also improve nutritional risk. It will examine the social network factors associated with nutritional risk in two groups: older adults in the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA) a national cross-Canada group of older adults, and older adults from Oasis Seniors' Supportive Living (Oasis), a program that delivers services to older adults living in natural retirement communities, such as an apartment building. The study will also examine the social network factors associated with changes in nutritional risk using data from the CLSA. Finally, the study will investigate if participation in Oasis improves nutritional risk. This study's results should help design programs, policies, and services aimed at improving the nutritional risk status of community-dwelling older adults in Canada.