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A 1997 random survey of 2,000 participants in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's WIC Farmers' Market Nutrition Program found that the program helped motivate low-income, pregnant and breast-feeding mothers to buy (and eat) fresh fruits and vegetables from farmers' markets. In California, the program provides $20 in coupons to participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). We found a small but statistically significant increase in fruit and vegetable consumption among survey respondents. The total intake was 4.50 servings per day in the group that used coupons compared with 3.56 in the group that did not, an increase of almost 1 serving. Participants were also enthusiastic about returning to farmers' markets. Sixty-two percent of those who were given coupons used them. Most participants wanted to see the program expanded although many responded with suggestions to improve it.

Objectives. This study examines whether living arrangements and changes in living arrangements are associated with survival among older community-dwelling adults, and whether differences in health status account for observed differences in survival. Methods. The sample consisted of 5085 persons aged 70 years or older who had participated in the Longitudinal Study of Aging in 1984 and 1986. Proportional hazards models were used to examine associations of survival time through 1990 with living arrangements in 1984 and with changes in living arrangements from 1984 to 1986. Results. Women who lived with someone other than a spouse at baseline or who changed from living with a spouse to living with someone other than a spouse were at greater risk of dying than women in other living arrangements, independent of health status or functioning. Among men, survival time was not generally associated with baseline living arrangements. Conclusions. Older adults who live alone or who change from living with someone to living alone do not have an increased mortality risk. However, living with or changing to living with someone other than a spouse may be associated with increased mortality risk. (Am J Public Health. 1997;87:371-377)

This study examined gender differences in the associations of sociodemographic variables and morbidity with changes in living arrangements among adults aged 55-74 years old (n = 820) who became unmarried between the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1971-75 and the NHANES I Epidemiologic Follow-up Study 1982-84. Preexisting family constellations (living in two person households at NHANES I compared to living in larger households, and not having children) were important predictors of living alone for both women and men following a change in marital status. Analyses also suggest gender differences in the effects of race, education and income on living alone after becoming unmarried.

In the United States, the number of elderly who live alone has increased dramatically since 1960 (1). As of 1986, approximately 30% of persons 65 years and older lived alone; [...]

The impact of sociodemographic, health-related, and behavioral variables on the dietary adequacy of the younger old (65 to 84 years, N = 2496) and oldest old (85 years and older, N = 159) was investigated using data from the Nationwide Food Consumption Survey 1977-78. The percent of individuals with poor diets (defined as mean three-day intake below 67% of the 1989 Recommended Dietary Allowances for at least five of the nine nutrients examined) was greater for women (18%) than for men (13%) and for the oldest old (21%) than for the younger old (16%). Better diet quality was associated both with increased quantity and with increased nutrient density of diets. Multivariate analyses identified two factors of importance for nutrient quality for both the younter and oldest old: mean energy intake and percent of calories from ready-to-eat cereal. Positive predictors of energy intake for both age groups included: number of meals, percent of calories from snacks, and money per person spent on food by the household. These results suggest that nutritional guidance for older Americans should focus on maintenance of adequate (but not excessive) energy intakes by consuming three meals a day plys snacks. Selection of foods of high nutrient density, such as fortified ready-to-eat cereals, should be emphasized, particularly when energy intakes are low. Nutrition programs should target individuals at risk of low food intakes: women, the oldest old, and persons in poor health, on weight-loss diets, or with inadequate money for food.

Associations between living arrangements and several eating behaviors were examined for 4,402 adults aged55 and older using three-day food intake data from the 1977–78 Nationwide Food Consumption Survey (NFCS). Compared to those living with a spouse, persons living alone ate more meals alone and consumed a higher proportion of total calories away from home; a higher proportion of those living alone skipped meals, including breakfast. There was a sex differential in the effect of living alone for some, but not all, of the eating behaviors. Both the probability of eating away from home and of skipping breakfast declined with age, as did the percentage of calories consumed from snacks. These results indicate a need to focus further research not only on the effects these eating behaviors have on the nutritional status of elderly persons, but also on middle-aged cohorts as they age and on food programs targeted at elderly persons living alone. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]