Considerable epidemiologic attention is focused on components of dietary intake as risk factors for a number of prevalent adult diseases. This study will examine an important component of lifestyle (living arrangements) as it affects dietary risk status. There is much concern, but conflicting evidence, regarding the impact of living arrangements (particularly living alone) on food consumption and dietary patterns. As a result of social and mortality trends during the l970's, over half of adults less than 35 years or older than 75 years do not live with a spouse. This epidemiologic study will examine the impact of living arrangements on dietary status in the context of sociodemographic, economic, health and food consumption patterns. Disciplines involved in the project include epidemiology, sociology, nutrition and biostatistics. Data sources will be the National Center for Health Statistics' National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys 1971-74 and 1976 -1980; the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Nationwide Food Consumption Survey 1977-78 and its Low-Income and Elderly Supplements. Multivariate techniques will be used to identify living arrangement subgroups of U.S. adults (age 20+) who are potentially at risk of poor dietary status; to examine the role of food consumption patterns and health status as intervening factors. The study will provide important information regarding the implications of living arrangements on food consumption and healthy dietary patterns for U.S. adults. The findings will have particular relevance for understanding factors affecting dietary patterns of young adults that may be conducive to development of chronic diseases (e.g., cancer, CHD) in later adulthood and for chronic disease control and health maintenance of the elderly. This research will be the first to provide national information on the dietary impact of living arrangements for young adults and those over 74 years of age. This information will be useful in identifying subgroups of U.S. adults that would most benefit from further risk monitoring, dietary counseling or nutrition intervention programs.
| Neuhaus, J M; Murphy, S P; Davis, M A (1991) Age and sex differences in variation of nutrient intakes among U.S. adults. Epidemiology 2:447-50 |
| Davis, M A; Murphy, S P; Neuhaus, J M (1988) Living arrangements and eating behaviors of older adults in the United States. J Gerontol 43:S96-8 |
