Welcome to CAFÉ
CAFÉ – changes around food experience
CAFÉ is a research project funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) to help us understand the impact of reduced contact with food on the social engagement and well-being of older women.
Food practices contribute to expressions of: gender, class, location, ethnicity and beliefs, conveying a sense of identity and self. For older women the planning, purchasing, preparation and serving of food are often a distinctive and vital part of their roles as individuals and within the family. For women with reduced involvement in these tasks, physiological needs for food are often supported by services such as meals-on-wheels, informal support from family, friends and congregate meals. However, the changes may also affect women’s sense of well-being, identity, self-esteem and engagement with family and friends. The psycho-social implications of these changes have not been fully explored, nor how they may relate to service development or policy consequences.
This qualitative study will work with women aged at least 65 years who live at home but do not prepare their own main meals. In-depth interviews and focus groups will be used to explore how older women respond to their experiences of reduced contact with food, specifically:
- meanings of food, social engagement and well-being
- how this impact alters over time, and
- the potential for intervening to restore greater contact with food in these women.
Implications for services and policy development will be highlighted.