Statements in which the resource exists as a subject.
PredicateObject
rdf:type
lifeskim:mentions
pubmed:issue
1
pubmed:dateCreated
2005-11-29
pubmed:abstractText
This paper draws upon qualitative research conducted among older adults in the rural, southern United States in which they articulated their beliefs and experiences with nutrition and foods, and lay models of the connection of diet with chronic disease. Salt emerged as a focus of contention. The goals of the paper are to (1) present the culturally constructed meaning of salt, (2) contrast the cultural meaning with biomedical views, and (3) discuss how these findings can be applied to health education and better doctor-patient communication. Data were collected in two rural communities characterized by high rates of poverty and a high proportion of minority residents. A total of 116 African American, Native American and white adults aged 60 years and older participated in 55 in-depth interviews or seven focus groups. A systematic analysis of text showed that salt was a highly contested component of food. While valued for its role in traditional foods and cuisine, it also held negative connotations because of biomedical links to chronic diseases prevalent in the population. We suggest that attempts to control salt intake are made difficult by the changes in taste perceptions that accompany aging. Respondents' articulation of salt's role in health and disease shows cross-over among different chronic diseases and a lay interpretation of blood as the medium through which salt affects disease. These older adults' narratives demonstrate their attempts to reconcile the important role of traditional foods in their identity as Southerners with their attempts to meet medical recommendations for healthy eating.
pubmed:grant
pubmed:language
eng
pubmed:journal
pubmed:citationSubset
IM
pubmed:chemical
pubmed:status
MEDLINE
pubmed:month
Jan
pubmed:issn
0277-9536
pubmed:author
pubmed:issnType
Print
pubmed:volume
62
pubmed:owner
NLM
pubmed:authorsComplete
Y
pubmed:pagination
189-98
pubmed:dateRevised
2008-11-21
pubmed:meshHeading
pubmed-meshheading:15990209-African Americans, pubmed-meshheading:15990209-Aged, pubmed-meshheading:15990209-European Continental Ancestry Group, pubmed-meshheading:15990209-Feeding Behavior, pubmed-meshheading:15990209-Female, pubmed-meshheading:15990209-Focus Groups, pubmed-meshheading:15990209-Food Preferences, pubmed-meshheading:15990209-Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, pubmed-meshheading:15990209-Humans, pubmed-meshheading:15990209-Indians, North American, pubmed-meshheading:15990209-Interviews as Topic, pubmed-meshheading:15990209-Male, pubmed-meshheading:15990209-Middle Aged, pubmed-meshheading:15990209-North Carolina, pubmed-meshheading:15990209-Nutritional Physiological Phenomena, pubmed-meshheading:15990209-Rural Population, pubmed-meshheading:15990209-Socioeconomic Factors, pubmed-meshheading:15990209-Sodium, Dietary, pubmed-meshheading:15990209-Taste
pubmed:year
2006
pubmed:articleTitle
Aging and eating in the rural, southern United States: beliefs about salt and its effect on health.
pubmed:affiliation
Department of Public Health Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Blvd., Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1063, USA.
pubmed:publicationType
Journal Article, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural