The partner in the plate: the association between changes in partnership status and protein consumption among older people in Europe

Experiencing a change in partnership status at older ages might have detrimental effects on an individual's habits, including eating behaviours. Prior studies presented evidence that widowhood is related to altered diets with a decrease in the amount of protein consumed, which is considered to be an important risk factor of frailty among older people. Using data from Waves 4-8 of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (N = 134,313), we investigate the association between stability and changes in partnership status and changes in the frequency of protein consumption at older ages. We also explore the potential moderating role played by changes in economic resources. Having never been married, being divorced and being widowed were significantly associated with a lower frequency of protein consumption among both men and women. The transition to widowhood was significantly associated with a reduction in the frequency of protein consumption, while this same association was not found in the transition to divorce. Subjective evaluation of economic resources did not moderate the relationship between changes in partnership status and frequency of protein consumption. In short, changes in eating behaviours after having experienced the loss of a partner due to widowhood might contribute to accounting for health differentials between those ageing alone and those with a partner.