Exploring the Views and Dietary Practices of Elderly Nepalese Citizen

Malnutrition is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among the elderly. We have very few studies on Nepalese senior citizens' eating habits. The purpose of this research is to learn more about Nepalese senior citizens' eating habits. In-depth interviews were used to conduct a qualitative study. The research was carried out in Nepal's Lamjung and Chitawan districts. All of the respondents were between the ages of 71 and 91. According to the statistics, the average teenage waking time is 4-5 a.m. For breakfast, they have tea, cookies, milk, chapatti, and beaten rice; for lunch and supper, they eat pulses, vegetables, milk, butter, and weekly meat with regular diet. They eat gravy veggie curry with rice and chapatti most of the time. They do, however, prefer soft and spicy vegetarian meals.

In terms of food consumption patterns, Nepal is divided into two distinct groups: rural and urban. Furthermore, the patterns of consumption have shifted as a result of industrialization and urbanization. The rural environment has its own pattern of food consumption depending on seasonal availability of food found on the consumers' own farmland (Neupane, 219; Neupane, 2018). In the context of Thailand, Chalobol Chalermsri and friends wrote that they had witnessed a rapid increase in the old population. Nutrition is linked to a number of negative health effects in the elderly. Physical, emotional, and social variables all have an impact on senior people's nutrition. From the perspectives of both carers and the old, this study looked at the food choices and dietary behaviors of community-dwelling elderly persons in Thailand.

Zumin Shi and colleagues used data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey to investigate the link between dietary preferences, lifestyle characteristics, and all-cause mortality in the elderly (CLHLS). A total of 8959 people aged 80 and up took part in the baseline survey in 1998/99. Up until 2011, follow-up surveys were conducted every two to three years(Placeholder2) (Shi, Zhang, Byles, Martin, Avery, & Taylor, 2015, p. 7562). According to Professor Kourkouta Lambrini, the number of persons living in nursing homes has risen dramatically in recent decades. In Europe, one-quarter of the population is over 60 years old. Although life expectancy has grown, owing primarily to improved disease diagnosis and treatment approaches, it is unclear if the extra years are of acceptable quality.

T. Lallukka and a friend wrote Helldan, Helldan, Helldan, Helldan, Helldan, Helldan, Helldan, Hell Gender, marital status and household composition, socioeconomic position, income, physical activity, smoking, body mass index (BMI), and health are all factors that influence eating habits, but the impact of these factors on eating habits among older adults has received less attention (Helldan T. L., 2012, p. 582). Maya Nath Ghimire noted that multi-sector indicators act in bidirectional pathways, which means they can both contribute to and be symptoms of poor nutrition and food insecurity. In Nepal, most development indices continue to show significant differences by region, sub-region, and urban versus rural areas (Ghimire, 2018, p. 172).

The study was exploratory in nature and used a qualitative approach. The research was carried out in Nepal's Lamjung and Chitawan districts. Participants had to be between the ages of 71 and 91 years old, both male and female. The information was gathered through in-depth interviews and a semi-structured questionnaire. When it comes to the philosophical underpinning, the researcher's philosophical perspective directs how data about a phenomenon is obtained, processed, and reports are written. As a result, the research paradigm in a qualitative study serves as a guide for any study including food trends in people's lives. It also addresses the issue of researchers and their existence. A research paradigm is a set of beliefs that guides any researcher in determining what can be examined and how the results should be interpreted. For this project, I choose to apply the interpretative and critical paradigm.

His qualitative research reveals that the eating culture of Nepalese elder citizens in rural areas is nearly identical. They are aware of the importance of eating organic foods. They used to eat maize, rice and millet dhindo (pores and bread), nettle soup, and other locally produced foods. However, the current food supply is mostly reliant on outsourcing. In their later years, they favor vegetarian, soft, and spicy foods.