Finger Food Meals as a Means of Improving Mealtimes for People with Motoric Eating Difficulties : A Pilot Study
(2024) In Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics 43(2). p.95-115- Abstract
Motoric eating difficulties affecting the ability to eat according to established norms may result in loss of autonomy, reduced food intake and decreased social interaction. Finger food meals may affect the ability to eat independently and were therefore compared to regular meals for older adults >65 years with major motoric eating difficulties. In this pilot study the screening instrument MEOF-II, including additional questions about use of cutlery and fingers, was used to collect data regarding autonomy, food intake and social interaction through observations. Five women and one man participated in the study. Results showed that finger food meals facilitated autonomous eating since the participants were able to eat independently... (More)
Motoric eating difficulties affecting the ability to eat according to established norms may result in loss of autonomy, reduced food intake and decreased social interaction. Finger food meals may affect the ability to eat independently and were therefore compared to regular meals for older adults >65 years with major motoric eating difficulties. In this pilot study the screening instrument MEOF-II, including additional questions about use of cutlery and fingers, was used to collect data regarding autonomy, food intake and social interaction through observations. Five women and one man participated in the study. Results showed that finger food meals facilitated autonomous eating since the participants were able to eat independently without relying on help from others. Less energy was spent on eating, which allowed for social interaction. However, finger food meals entail unfamiliar norms and culinary rules which may hinder eating; this is an important factor to consider in the implementation of such meals. Further studies on finger foods for older adults may consider larger and diverse cohorts, including healthy older adults, those with motoric difficulties and those with early stages of cognitive decline. Also, a wider variety of finger foods for specific cultural preferences and situations may be considered.
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- author
- Forsberg, Sarah ; Nyberg, Maria ; Olsson, Viktoria ; Rothenberg, Elisabet ; Bredie, Wender L.P. ; Wendin, Karin and Westergren, Albert LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2024
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Autonomy, finger foods, food intake, motoric eating difficulties, older adults, social interaction
- in
- Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics
- volume
- 43
- issue
- 2
- pages
- 21 pages
- publisher
- Routledge
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:38819410
- scopus:85194827714
- ISSN
- 2155-1197
- DOI
- 10.1080/21551197.2024.2358755
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 317bad90-fa87-4deb-a312-0bf331b1bacc
- date added to LUP
- 2024-10-09 13:04:39
- date last changed
- 2025-07-03 12:34:44
@article{317bad90-fa87-4deb-a312-0bf331b1bacc,
abstract = {{<p>Motoric eating difficulties affecting the ability to eat according to established norms may result in loss of autonomy, reduced food intake and decreased social interaction. Finger food meals may affect the ability to eat independently and were therefore compared to regular meals for older adults >65 years with major motoric eating difficulties. In this pilot study the screening instrument MEOF-II, including additional questions about use of cutlery and fingers, was used to collect data regarding autonomy, food intake and social interaction through observations. Five women and one man participated in the study. Results showed that finger food meals facilitated autonomous eating since the participants were able to eat independently without relying on help from others. Less energy was spent on eating, which allowed for social interaction. However, finger food meals entail unfamiliar norms and culinary rules which may hinder eating; this is an important factor to consider in the implementation of such meals. Further studies on finger foods for older adults may consider larger and diverse cohorts, including healthy older adults, those with motoric difficulties and those with early stages of cognitive decline. Also, a wider variety of finger foods for specific cultural preferences and situations may be considered.</p>}},
author = {{Forsberg, Sarah and Nyberg, Maria and Olsson, Viktoria and Rothenberg, Elisabet and Bredie, Wender L.P. and Wendin, Karin and Westergren, Albert}},
issn = {{2155-1197}},
keywords = {{Autonomy; finger foods; food intake; motoric eating difficulties; older adults; social interaction}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{2}},
pages = {{95--115}},
publisher = {{Routledge}},
series = {{Journal of Nutrition in Gerontology and Geriatrics}},
title = {{Finger Food Meals as a Means of Improving Mealtimes for People with Motoric Eating Difficulties : A Pilot Study}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/21551197.2024.2358755}},
doi = {{10.1080/21551197.2024.2358755}},
volume = {{43}},
year = {{2024}},
}