Gender, Adverse Changes in Social Engagement and Risk of Unhealthy Eating : A Prospective Cohort Study of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (2011–2021)

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Gender, Adverse Changes in Social Engagement and Risk of Unhealthy Eating : A Prospective Cohort Study of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (2011–2021) Mehranfar, Sanaz; Ceolin, Gilciane; Madani Civi, Rana; Keller, Heather; Murphy, Rachel Anne; Cohen, Tamara R.; Conklin, Annalijn I

Abstract

Background: Social isolation is linked to survival and health. However, dietary effects of social activities, and gender differences, over time are unknown. Methods: A prospective study of adults (45+y) reporting daily fruit or vegetable (F/V) intake (at wave 1) from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). Multivariable mixed logistic regression assessed changes in social isolation or breadth of social participation (wave 1 to 2) in relation to adverse changes in F/V (non-daily intake) at wave 3 in women and men. Results: Women who remained socially isolated between waves 1 and 2 had 85% higher odds of non-daily vegetable intake (OR 1.85 [95% CI: 1.32, 2.59]) and over twofold higher odds of non-daily fruit intake (2.23 [1.58, 3.14]), compared to reference (not isolated at waves 1 and 2). Higher odds of non-daily F/V intake were also observed for women who changed from isolated at wave 1 to not isolated at wave 2. Women and men who had less diverse social participation at waves 1 and 2 had 28–64% higher odds of non-daily F/V intake, compared to their counterparts with diverse social participation at both waves. Higher odds of non-daily fruit were also seen for women who had diverse social participation at wave 1 but reduced their diversity at wave 2 (1.35 [1.12, 1.62]). Conclusions: Results showed persistent social isolation impacted changes in F/V among women only, while limited breadth of social participation affected F/V intake in both genders. Further longitudinal research on the complexities of social engagement and eating behavior is warranted.

Item Metadata

Title	Gender, Adverse Changes in Social Engagement and Risk of Unhealthy Eating : A Prospective Cohort Study of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (2011–2021)
Creator	Mehranfar, Sanaz; Ceolin, Gilciane; Madani Civi, Rana; Keller, Heather; Murphy, Rachel Anne; Cohen, Tamara R.; Conklin, Annalijn I
Contributor	University of British Columbia. Food, Nutrition and Health Program; University of British Columbia. Collaboration for Outcomes Research and Evaluation; BC Cancer Research Centre; Centre for Advancing Health Outcomes; Providence Health Care (Vancouver, B.C.). Research Institute; St. Paul's Hospital (Vancouver, B.C.); Children's Hospital (Vancouver, B.C.). Research Institute; Edwin S.H. Leong Healthy Aging Program
Publisher	Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Date Issued	2025-03-13
Description	Background: Social isolation is linked to survival and health. However, dietary effects of social activities, and gender differences, over time are unknown. Methods: A prospective study of adults (45+y) reporting daily fruit or vegetable (F/V) intake (at wave 1) from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA). Multivariable mixed logistic regression assessed changes in social isolation or breadth of social participation (wave 1 to 2) in relation to adverse changes in F/V (non-daily intake) at wave 3 in women and men. Results: Women who remained socially isolated between waves 1 and 2 had 85% higher odds of non-daily vegetable intake (OR 1.85 [95% CI: 1.32, 2.59]) and over twofold higher odds of non-daily fruit intake (2.23 [1.58, 3.14]), compared to reference (not isolated at waves 1 and 2). Higher odds of non-daily F/V intake were also observed for women who changed from isolated at wave 1 to not isolated at wave 2. Women and men who had less diverse social participation at waves 1 and 2 had 28–64% higher odds of non-daily F/V intake, compared to their counterparts with diverse social participation at both waves. Higher odds of non-daily fruit were also seen for women who had diverse social participation at wave 1 but reduced their diversity at wave 2 (1.35 [1.12, 1.62]). Conclusions: Results showed persistent social isolation impacted changes in F/V among women only, while limited breadth of social participation affected F/V intake in both genders. Further longitudinal research on the complexities of social engagement and eating behavior is warranted.
Subject	social relationships; fruits and vegetables; gender; longitudinal study; CLSA
Genre	Article
Type	Text
Language	eng
Date Available	2025-05-08
Provider	Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights	CC BY 4.0
DOI	10.14288/1.0448802
URI	http://hdl.handle.net/2429/91044
Affiliation	Land and Food Systems, Faculty of; Medicine, Faculty of; Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of; Non UBC; Population and Public Health (SPPH), School of
Citation	Nutrients 17 (6): 1005 (2025)
Publisher DOI	10.3390/nu17061005
Peer Review Status	Reviewed
Scholarly Level	Faculty; Researcher
Rights URI	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Aggregated Source Repository	DSpace

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