ABSTRACT
This chapter develops a classification scheme of nutrition-related helping behaviors and determines typical barriers to good nutrition. Stein et al. reported that older adults rated rising food costs as the most feared out of 37 potential stressors, including getting a fatal illness, becoming disabled, having to live in a nursing home, being robbed, or having to move. The researchers believed that their subjects viewed rising food costs as an immediate threat to survival. Food preparation refers to a spectrum of activities ranging from preparing entire, well-balanced meals to repackaging foods for storage and later use. The informants also discussed two types of emotionally supportive behaviors in response to modified diets. Encouragement refers to behaviors that bolster the confidence of the participants and reassure them of the importance of their diets.
