Objectives: This study examined eating behaviors, among other variables, and aimed to identify the factors that influence "satisfaction in dietary life" and "satisfaction in life" among elderly women living in rural areas of Hokkaido, Japan.
Methods: We recruited 165 women aged 65 and older from five day-care centers in three small towns within rural areas in Hokkaido and interviewed them using a survey, along with a questionnaire to collect data on basic attributes, health conditions, eating behavior, satisfaction in dietary life, and satisfaction in life. First, we conducted factor analysis for the dietary behavior items, then correlation analysis for dietary behavior factors, satisfaction in dietary life scores, and satisfaction in life scores. In addition, we performed a path analysis on the "satisfaction in life" score as a dependent variable, with "age," "degree of independence," "family form," "economic status," "dietary behavior factors score," and "satisfaction in dietary life score" as independent variables.
Results: Out of the analyzed data for 165 subjects, only 22 items regarding dietary behavior factors were selected; 6 factors were extracted and labeled as "inconvenience of cooking and eating," "practice of cooking," "quality of meal," "interest in obtaining food," "reason for eating," and "eating with someone." The "satisfaction in dietary life" scores had a positive correlation with the "satisfaction in life" scores (p = 0.58, P < 0.01) . The path analysis revealed that the factors "quality of meal" (beta = 0.36, P < 0.01), "eating with someone" (beta = 0.19, P < 0.05), and "age" (beta = 0.19, P < 0.05) influenced the "satisfaction in dietary life" score directly. Additionally, "interest in obtaining food" (beta = 0.23, P < 0.05) influenced the "quality of meal." The path analysis showed that 34% of the variance of "satisfaction in life" could be explained by "satisfaction in dietary life" (beta = 0.57, P < 0.01).
Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that improving "satisfaction in dietary life" is important in enhancing "satisfaction in life" among elderly women. In addition, improving "quality of meal" and creating an environment for "eating with someone" influenced "satisfaction in dietary life." The results also suggest that providing health and welfare services focused on enhancing elderly women's dietary life is very important to improve their overall quality of life.