Relationship between living alone and food and nutrient intake

Abstract

The increase in the number of individuals living alone has implications for nutrition and health outcomes. The aim of this review was to investigate whether there is a difference in food and nutrient intake between adults living alone and those living with others. Eight electronic databases were searched, using terms related to living alone, nutrition, food, and socioeconomic factors. Forty-one papers met the inclusion criteria, and data of interest were extracted. Results varied but suggested that, compared with persons who do not live alone, persons who live alone have a lower diversity of food intake, a lower consumption of some core foods groups (fruits, vegetables, and fish), and a higher likelihood of having an unhealthy dietary pattern. Associations between living alone and nutrient intake were unclear. Men living alone were more often observed to be at greater risk of undesirable intakes than women. The findings of this review suggest that living alone could negatively affect some aspects of food intake and contribute to the relationship between living alone and poor health outcomes, although associations could vary among socioeconomic groups. Further research is required to help to elucidate these findings.

Comparison of oral health status and daily nutrient intake between elders who live alone and elders who live with family: Based on the Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES VI) (2013‐2015)

“…28 Economic factors could explain the lower consumption of certain foods, such as fish, fruits, and vegetables, which require more regular consumption, as frequent purchase can also be more expensive. 29 Similar to the present study, Hunter et al 30 compared living alone with living with others and showed that living alone was associated with lower consumption of fruits and vegetables.…”

“…Demographic data have shown that the groups living alone most likely to be affected by economic factors are men and senior women who have lower incomes than persons of the same age living with others . Economic factors could explain the lower consumption of certain foods, such as fish, fruits, and vegetables, which require more regular consumption, as frequent purchase can also be more expensive . Similar to the present study, Hunter et al compared living alone with living with others and showed that living alone was associated with lower consumption of fruits and vegetables.…”

Dietary patterns are associated with the prevalence of alexithymia

“…Among subjects with elevated depressive symptoms, alexithymia associated less often with a prudent dietary pattern and more frequently with an unhealthy Western dietary pattern. All these associations remained unaltered after multiple adjustments for potential confounders, such as age (Zang, Yu, Zhu et al ., ), gender (Elfhag & Lundh, ), level of education (Zang et al ., ), marital status (Hanna & Collins, ), a poor financial status (Zang et al ., ), alcohol use (Robino et al ., ; Zang et al ., ) and daily smoking (Zang et al ., ).…”

Is the number of siblings associated with dietary patterns in adolescents? The 1993 birth cohort of Pelotas (Brazil)

“…While previous studies have looked into the role of family structure on dietary intake [5–7], few have evaluated the effect of number of siblings on adolescent dietary patterns [8–10]. One of these studies found that individuals with no siblings had a higher daily intakes of nutrients (except carbohydrate and added sugars) compared to individuals with siblings, suggesting that only-children may have a better diet quality [9].…”