The Effects of Bereavement on Eating Behaviors and Nutrient Intakes in Elderly Widowed Persons

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the effects of recent widowhood on nutritional behaviors. Fifty recently widowed persons over the age of 60 and 50 married subjects of similar age were interviewed on eating behaviors, focusing on changes since widowhood or within 2 years for the married persons. Widowed subjects completed the Grief Resolution Index, and all subjects recorded dietary intake for 3 days. Data were analyzed using nutrient analysis, correlation coefficients, chi square analysis, and t-tests. The results indicate that widowhood changed the social environment of our subjects, altering the social meaning that eating held for them and producing negative effects on eating behaviors and nutrient intakes.