2020 Volume 40 Pages 654-660
Aim: The aim of this study was to clarify the findings of previous studies on food environmental accessibility related to the malnutrition state in older adults living alone to provide them with suitable dietary support in nursing practice.
Methods: Using the PubMed, CINAHL, and Igaku Chuo Zasshi Web version (the Japanese Medical Database) as databases, the literature published between 1999 and 2018 were searched and scrutinized.
Results: The nutritional state in older adults living alone tended to be poorer than that in those living with others. Food environmental accessibility related to the malnutrition state in older adults living alone was consisted of seven factors. They were “Low economic situation”, “Feeling of isolation and eating alone”, “Decreased functional ability”, “Weak social network”, “Low skills and behaviors in diet”, “Low willingness to change eating”, and “Inconvenient living conditions for shopping”.
Conclusion: The food environmental accessibility related to malnutrition state in older adults living alone is composed of diverse and complex factors. These results suggest that it is necessary to examine the difficulties among the factors of food environmental accessibility and provide support to older adults living alone in response to them.
