IN BRIEF


TESTING DECISIONS The offer, interpretation and consequences of genetic testing raise complex issues for counsellors, patients and families. New research will explore how patients come to a decision about whether to take a genetic test or not. By following people during the decision-making process, researchers aim to improve understanding of how thinking develops and the other people and factors that influence this. ESRC grant number ES/R003092/1


GENDER IDENTITY Young people seem to be moving away from the traditional binary identities of male and female and adopting a more nuanced, fluid and non-binary understanding of what gender means today. Researchers aim to explore the way in which gender meanings have changed for young people between the ages of 15-24 and investigate the impact of shifting notions of masculinity and femininity.


ESRC grant number ES/P011772/1


TOWN MARKET BENEFITS Traditional retail markets (TRM) have played a key role in UK towns and cities for centuries. More recently they have supported deprived neighbourhoods by providing affordable food and offered start-up business opportunities as well as fostering social inclusion in increasingly diverse cities. Researchers aim to understand who uses markets, how markets are changing and assess their economic, social and community value. ESRC grant number ES/P010547/1


Older generation need help to stay food secure


T


HE FOOD INDUSTRY and health agencies could all do more to ensure older people have access to a


healthy, affordable and safe diet, says a University of Hertfordshire study into food provision in later life. One in 10 people aged over 65 in England and Wales suffer from, or are at risk of, malnutrition with an estimated cost to the health and social care system of £29.5 billion in 2017. The food landscape can become more problematic in later life, with older people likely to experience a range of factors working against them when sourcing, buying and preparing food, says researcher Professor Wendy Wills. In a 30-month project, researchers


set out to explore the challenges older people face within the UK food system. Findings suggest that staying in control of their own food shopping is considered key by older people determined to retain their independence and sense of community belonging. For some older people living alone, a trip to the supermarket may be the only opportunity for community interaction each week. Researchers say supermarkets have considerable scope to make the weekly shop a more inclusive, enjoyable, sociable and less stressful experience for older people. Such measures range from the


introduction of ‘slow’ checkout lanes to the launch of tailored incentives that encourage older people to shop during quieter periods. Other potential


4 SOCIETY NOW SUMMER 2011 WINTER 2018


innovations include providing more seating areas or rest points, arranging in-store cafe lunch events aimed at older people, targeting some in-store promotions at older customers and increasing staff training on meeting the needs of more vulnerable customers. Local authorities, the voluntary


sector and agencies could also better meet older people’s food security needs, say researchers. Community food services such as lunch clubs would benefit from rejuvenation and meals-on-wheels services, which offer a lifeline, desperately require funding to survive. GPs, carers and charities could do more to spread advice on appropriate nutrition in later life, including eating more energy-dense foods to avoid weight loss and malnutrition. Supermarkets, the Food Standards


Agency and a range of voluntary and social enterprise organisations are considering how to use the project findings to ensure older people remain food secure and safe for as long as possible. “Industry and policymakers have a real opportunity to introduce practical and cost- effective measures that support the older generation to eat healthily and safely,” says Professor Wills. n


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Contact Professor Wendy Wills, University of Hertfordshire Email w.j.wills@herts.ac.uk Telephone 01707 228535 Web www.foodprovisioninlaterlife.com ESRC Grant Number ES/M00306X/1


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