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Perception of hedonic attributes of foods among ethnically diverse elders receiving home delivered meals
Author(s) -
Bermudez Odilia I.,
Gao Ruoyun,
George Linda,
Dang ThiThi
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.21.6.a1070-d
Subject(s) - ethnic group , flavor , micronutrient , environmental health , perception , food group , medicine , gerontology , ethnically diverse , food science , demography , psychology , biology , population , neuroscience , pathology , sociology , anthropology
We examined the perception of hedonic attributes (flavor, texture, appearance, color, and size) to describe food likeness (FL) and acceptability (FA) of meals among 191 elders (mean age=77y): 50 Chinese (CH), 54 Africa‐Americans (AA), 50 Whites (WH) and 37 Hispanics (HI), all participants of a home delivered meals program in Massachusetts. We also assessed diet quality with summary scores based on macro‐ and micronutrient intakes. Significantly less AAs and CHs accepted the flavor (56% in both groups; P<0.001) and the texture (59% & 60%; P<0.001) of the delivered meals, compared to WHs (90% in both attributes). FL and FA were both associated with ethnicity but not with diet quality. Flavor was the only attribute associated with FL (P<0.05). Study subjects based their evaluation of meals in cultural factors and food attributes but not on the quality of their diets. Flavor, in particular, should be treated as an important factor when designing food programs for the elderly, as this attribute is directly associated with improvements in food intakes of frail elders. Support: Massachusetts Vitamin Settlement Fund