What Drove Program Participants to Initially Attend Congregate Meals? Socialization, Health, and Other Reasons

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Public Health
• Nutrition Science

Background:

• Congregate Nutrition Services are vital for older adult independence and community engagement.
• Understanding participant motivations is key to optimizing program reach and effectiveness.
• Existing research may not fully capture the diverse reasons older adults access these services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the primary reasons older adults initially attend congregate meals.
• To examine how these initial motivations differ across various participant characteristics.
• To inform strategies for enhancing program participation among diverse older adult populations.

Main Methods:

• Descriptive statistics were employed to analyze participant data.
• Tests of differences were conducted to compare subgroups of participants (n=1,072).
• Self-reported reasons for program attendance were the primary data source.

Main Results:

• Socialization was the leading reason for attendance, cited by 36.3% of participants.
• Age- or health-related reasons were the second most common initial motivator (18.7%).
• Participants seeking socialization were less likely to be low-income, food-insecure, or have multiple ADL limitations.

Conclusions:

• Initial motivations for attending congregate meals vary significantly by socioeconomic status and health needs.
• Participants attending for age/health reasons were more likely to be low-income, food-insecure, and from marginalized groups.
• Health and social service providers should tailor outreach and data collection to address diverse needs and encourage participation.