Healthy Aging at Family Mealtimes: Associations of Clean Cooking, Protein Intake, and Dining Together with Mental Health of Chinese Older Adults amid COVID-19 Pandemic

Shuai Zhou (), Xiangying Ding () and Janet Tsin Yee Leung
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Shuai Zhou: Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
Xiangying Ding: Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China
Janet Tsin Yee Leung: Department of Applied Social Sciences, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong SAR, China

IJERPH, 2023, vol. 20, issue 3, 1-17

Abstract: The present study aims to examine whether multiple dietary factors affect the mental health of older adults amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It proposes an integrative dietary framework that highlights environmental, nutritional, and social aspects of diet for healthy aging. Based on a sample of 7858 Chinese older adults, the associations between diet and depressive symptoms, along with the rural–urban divide, were examined using zero-inflated negative binomial regression. Overall, protein intake (incidence-rate ratio [IRR] = 0.89, p < 0.001), frequency of family dining together (IRR = 0.98, p < 0.001), and using tap water for cooking (IRR = 0.92, p < 0.01) were associated with lower incidence rates of depressive symptoms among older adults. Among rural older adults, frequency of family dining together (IRR = 0.97, p < 0.001) and tap water use (IRR = 0.89, p < 0.001) were associated with fewer depressive symptoms. However, urban residents who had a higher frequency of family dining together (IRR = 0.98, p < 0.05) and protein intake (IRR = 0.81, p < 0.001) exhibited fewer depressive symptoms. The findings revealed multifaceted dietary pathways towards healthy aging, which call for policies and interventions that improve diet quality for community-dwelling older adults.

Keywords: healthy aging; mental health; diet; protein intake; clean cooking; family dining; older adults; Chinese (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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