Social Network and Social Background Characteristics of Elderly Who Live and Eat Alone Academic Article uri icon

abstract

  • Solitary eating is increasingly viewed as a factor in nutritional risk for the aged. Similarly, those elderly who live alone are thought to be at risk. Using data drawn from 424 elderly Texans, the elderly's four possible living-eating arrangements were examined. Findings included the greater the number of companions and percentage of kin in the social network, the less likely are the elderly to both live and eat alone. Males, those with greater income, and those who are older are also less likely to live and eat alone. Those who live alone but eat with others are female, of low income, but of higher education than those elderly who both live and eat with others.

published proceedings

  • Journal of Aging and Health

altmetric score

  • 0.5

author list (cited authors)

  • Torres, C. C., McIntosh, W. A., & Kubena, K. S.

citation count

  • 22

complete list of authors

  • Torres, Cruz C||McIntosh, Wm Alex||Kubena, Karen S

publication date

  • November 1992