Examination of an Intergenerational Summer Meal Program for Children and Older Adults

Unreliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food in the U.S. is a persistent public health threat significantly impacting households with children (15%) and older adults (20%). Well-established nutrition assistance programs serve children and seniors independently, yet few p...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of community health 2022-12, Vol.47 (6), p.902-913
Main Authors: Bruce, Janine S., Lien, Tiffany N., George, Elizabeth, Puri, Vandana, Ramirez, Melanie, Merrell, Sylvia Bereknyei
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adults
Aged
Aging (Individuals)
Child
Childhood Needs
Children
Community and Environmental Psychology
Community Relations
Comorbidity
Ethics
Food Assistance
Food Insecurity
Food programs
Food resources
Food security
Food Supply
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention
Health risks
Households
Humans
Meals
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Mixed methods research
Nutrition
Older people
Original Paper
Partnerships
Poverty
Public health
School Districts
Surveys
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Summary:Unreliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, nutritious food in the U.S. is a persistent public health threat significantly impacting households with children (15%) and older adults (20%). Well-established nutrition assistance programs serve children and seniors independently, yet few programs utilize an intergenerational meal program model. The aim of this mixed methods study is to examine the impact of an intergenerational meal program administered through a partnership between a local school district and a county Senior Nutrition Program. Participating older adults completed surveys to assess food security and program attendance, and examine their understanding and utilization of community-based food resources. Interviews with a subsample of participants explored perceptions of the intergenerational meal program and community-level food security. Older adults (n = 83) completed surveys in English (59%), Spanish (25%), and Mandarin (16%). They identified primarily as Asian (44%), Latinx (30%), White (21%), and multi-racial (5%). Forty-eight percent of participants indicated low or very low food security at some time in the last 12 months. The subsample of interview participants (n = 24; Spanish 46% and English 54%) revealed key insights: 1) perceived benefits of an intergenerational meal program; 2) community-level food insecurity and struggles of older adults to make ends meet; and 3) importance and challenge of obtaining nutritious foods for those with limited budgets and medical comorbidities. Implementation of this intergenerational meal program highlights the opportunity to support the nutritional needs of children and older adults while leveraging a new interdisciplinary partnership and existing organizational capacity.
ISSN:0094-5145
1573-3610
DOI:10.1007/s10900-022-01125-0