(P24-079-23) The Effect of Social Connections on Fruit and Vegetable Intake: Results From a Systematic Review of Longitudinal Studies

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate the impact of changes in social connections on fruit and vegetable intake among seniors taking a gender perspective.

Methods: Medline, Embase, Scopus, CINAHL, and ProQuest were systematically searched until December 2022. We included longitudinal studies evaluating the effect of changes in living arrangement, marital status, social network, or social participation on fruit and vegetable intake.

Results: We found 4957 eligible titles. Screening of Medline and Embase (3379 titles) resulted in 47 eligible full-texts and 4 studies were included which evaluated marital transitions. A study in Japan reported less consumption of total and light-colored vegetables among those who became widowed compared to those who remained married. However, such an association was not significant in the gender-stratified analysis. Another study in the UK reported a reduction in fruit variety, and in both vegetable quantity and variety, in men who remained non-married, became divorced/separated, or widowed compared to those remaining married. Also, men who became widowed had lower fruit quantity. In this study, women who remained non-married and became separated/divorced had lower vegetable variety than those who stayed married. Two sex-specific US studies showed less vegetable intake in those becoming widowed and divorced than those remaining married, and higher intake in those who remarried than those who remained non-married. The studies conducted on men and women, respectively, showed less fruit intake in those becoming divorced and less vegetable intake in those staying non-married compared to those who remained married. These two studies excluded participants who were single. All studies had medium quality.

Conclusions: Limited longitudinal research has investigated the impact of social tie transitions on fruit and vegetable intake. Based on our preliminary results, marital transitions may affect fruit and vegetable intake in seniors. Little appears known about the impact of other social ties on diet.

Funding Sources: Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council