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Resident interactions at mealtime: an exploratory study.

ABSTRACT: Social interaction is thought to be important for psychological wellbeing and is necessary for developing relationships between older adults living in facilities. This study seeks to describe the social interaction that occurs amongst tablemates at mealtime in retirement homes, as well those things that influence resident-to-resident interaction. Fourteen lunch time periods were the basis for qualitative participant observation. Two or three researchers collected data in each period, with each observing two tables, resulting in 63 individual table observations at a retirement living facility dining room in a medium-sized city in Southern Ontario. Residents attending mealtime in the dining room were (~ 100). The type, extent and influences on social interactions amongst tablemates were recorded in detailed field notes. Qualitative thematic analysis, using a constant comparison procedure, was used to summarize and make sense of the data. A variety of social interactions occurred amongst tablemates including: making conversation, providing assistance, sharing, humouring, showing appreciation and affection, and rebuffing/ignoring/excluding. Interactions were influenced by tablemate roles, resident characteristics, and the social and physical environment, including staff. Social interactions or lack thereof are important for relationship development and mealtime environment. Describing the types of interaction and what influences them is a first step towards promoting social engagement which can enhance quality of life for residents. Further investigation through interviews with residents on the meaning of mealtime and companionship at meals will build a deeper understanding of the importance and influences on social interaction in this setting.

SUBMITTER: Curle L

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5547351 | biostudies-other | 2010 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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Project description:BackgroundBinge eating is a subjective loss of control while eating, which leads to the consumption of large amounts of food. It can cause significant emotional distress and is often accompanied by purging behaviors (eg, meal skipping, overexercising, or vomiting).ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to explore the potential of mobile sensing to detect indicators of binge-eating episodes, with a view toward informing the design of future context-aware mobile interventions.MethodsThis study was conducted in 2 stages. The first involved the development of the DeMMI (Detecting Mental health behaviors using Mobile Interactions) app. As part of this, we conducted a consultation session to explore whether the types of sensor data we were proposing to capture were useful and appropriate, as well as to gather feedback on some specific app features relating to self-reporting. The second stage involved conducting a 6-week period of data collection with 10 participants experiencing binge eating (logging both their mood and episodes of binge eating) and 10 comparison participants (logging only mood). An optional interview was conducted after the study, which discussed their experience using the app, and 8 participants (n=3, 38% binge eating and n=5, 63% comparisons) consented.ResultsThe findings showed unique differences in the types of sensor data that were triangulated with the individuals' episodes (with nearby Bluetooth devices, screen and app use features, mobility features, and mood scores showing relevance). Participants had a largely positive opinion about the app, its unobtrusive role, and its ease of use. Interacting with the app increased participants' awareness of and reflection on their mood and phone usage patterns. Moreover, they expressed no privacy concerns as these were alleviated by the study information sheet.ConclusionsThis study contributes a series of recommendations for future studies wishing to scale our approach and for the design of bespoke mobile interventions to support this population.

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Resident interactions at mealtime: an exploratory study.

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