Supporting each other: older adults’ experiences empowering food security and social inclusion in rural and food desert communities

Davies, R. and Reid, K. (2024) Supporting each other: older adults’ experiences empowering food security and social inclusion in rural and food desert communities. Appetite, 198, 107353. (doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2024.107353)

Abstract

Older adults vulnerable to food insecurity are at risk of poor psychological and physical health. Poor public infrastructure or proximity to food sources can exacerbate risk of food insecurity. Reduced statutory services for social care has heightened the responsibility on third sector organisations and community-led volunteering, essential to supporting healthy ageing in place and reducing the inequalities of ageing. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore how older adults' volunteering with a third sector organisation focused on food access supports food security and builds social capital for socially or economically marginalised older adults within rural and food desert communities. The study aims to bridge the knowledge gap of how volunteering in vulnerable geographies affects food insecurity and community. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven older (55+) volunteer ‘meal makers’ working with the third sector organisation Food Train and its ‘Meal Makers’ project. Interview recordings were transcribed and thematically analysed. Ecomap methodology was used to illustrate the lived experiences of older adult volunteers as told through the interviews. Two themes were identified by Thematic Analysis: (1) Networks, connectedness, and exposure to social capital, and (2) Supplementary support. This study finds that older adult volunteers are well placed within community interventions supporting food insecure older adults in rural or food desert communities. Ecomaps demonstrated that high social capital volunteers can mediate food access barriers and highlighted points of local knowledge and social connection. Volunteer engagement provides opportunities for food secure older adults to share local knowledge and build networks of food support and social inclusion for food insecure older adults. Older age volunteering should be advocated as a multi-faceted intervention promoting mutual health and wellbeing in volunteer and beneficiary.

• Item Type: Articles
• Keywords: Food insecurity, older adults, volunteering, social capital, wellbeing, ecomaps.
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Reid, Dr Kate and Davies, Miss Rebecca

Creator Roles

Davies, R.: Writing – review and editing, Writing – original draft, Visualization, Validation, Project administration, Methodology, Investigation, Formal analysis, Data curation, Conceptualization
Reid, K.: Writing – review and editing, Supervision, Resources, Methodology, Conceptualization

• Authors: Davies, R., and Reid, K.
• College/School: College of Social Sciences > School of Education > People, Place & Social Change
• Journal Name: Appetite
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0195-6663
• ISSN (Online): 1095-8304
• Published Online: 11 April 2024
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2024 The Authors
• First Published: First published in Appetite 198: 107353
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced under a Creative Commons License
• Data DOI: 10.17605/OSF.IO/4F76P