Cancer Control Research
1R03CA070971-01
Achterberg, Cheryl
PATTERNS OF DIETARY CHANGE IN OLDER ADULTS
AbstractDESCRIPTION (Applicant's Description)
Diets high in fat are correlated positively with the risk of a number of
cancers, including breast, colon, pancreas and prostate. Cancer incidence
increases with age, but good nutrition can enhance the quality of older
individuals' remaining years by reversing the promotion of cancer cells.
The ultimate goal of this project is to help older individuals reduce the
percentage of total fat in their diet to 30% of energy or less. The
proposed pilot study uses an integrated approach of several models and
theories (such as grounded theory, theory of meaningful learning, social
marketing models and stages of change model) in an effort to generate a more
comprehensive theory describing the processes used for successful dietary
change. Fifty in-depth case histories of older adults (age 60 to 85) will
be examined retrospectively to determine the processes for dietary change.
These older adults would be individuals who have successfully decreased
their fat intake to recommended levels (30 percent of kcals or less), and
maintained these positive changes for over five years. Participants will be
asked to fill out two copies of a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ): one
describing present "healthy" diet followed by a FFQ describing diet before
initiation of healthful dietary changes. Participants will then undergo an
in-person, in-depth and audio-taped interview where specific food changes
(determined from both FFQs) will be placed on a time line. Reasons for
initiating each food change will be provided. The participant's major life
events placed on the time line at the beginning of the interview will be
used as cues for recall and as anchoring dates for occurrence of each food
change. The processes of change (i.e., sequence, timing, motivational
factors) will be determined and quantified. These processes will then be
compared to those already determined in a group of younger adults to
identify similarities and/or differences between the age groups. These
results can then be used to better segment audiences for dietary
intervention to decrease cancer risk and to improve the effectiveness of the
intervention strategies.
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