Cooking for One or Two: Applying Participatory Action Research to improve community-dwelling older adults' health and well-being

Issue addressedThis paper describes the process of the redevelopment and expansion of Cooking for One or Two, a community-based nutrition education program for older adults. MethodsThis project took place in a large regional city in NSW Australia from September 2011 to September 2013. Previous Cooking for One or Two participants and Hunter Medical Research Institute Research Register members were recruited for focus groups (n=37), recipe testing (n=19) and telephone interviews (n=55) to aid in the development and expansion of the program. ResultsParticipant's experiences and preferences informed the development of a supplementary cookbook and add-on education modules. Through a variety of methods, the research team sought ongoing feedback on the content and direction of the program. Content experts also reviewed the health promotion information for appropriateness. ConclusionsUtilising the Participatory Action Research process resulted in an expanded set of materials for Cooking for One or Two that can enable older people to engage in peer-to-peer education and to take care of their nutritional and social health. The process is a valuable example of the success of ongoing collaboration between researchers and program developers with the target population. So what?While the research team developed evidence-based content for the expanded program, the key to success was the continued engagement with the target population. This engagement fostered a sense of ownership over the program by participants and has led to continued support by the target population.