Frail men's perspectives on food and eating

Food shopping, preparation, and serving traditionally tend to be the domain of women. This article, however, focuses on the rarely examined world of frail old men who live in the community and on the meanings and themes that underlie their attitudes and behaviors in relation to food and eating. Based on the analyses of face-to-face qualitative interviews with 15 men, 76–95 years old, four inter-related themes emerged: (1) eating to live and wish to survive, (2) centrality of concern about the physical body, (3) the pervasive need for maintenance of masculinity, and (4) importance of sociality to the eating experience. Findings demonstrate how themes of masculinity in these men affect their narratives and perceptions about food and eating.