Foodwork among people with intellectual disabilities and dietary implications depending on staff involvement

Abstract

The food provision for people with intellectual disability (ID) in Sweden is organized within their own households. The aim of this study was to describe how foodwork – planning for meals, shopping for food and cooking – is performed in different social contexts in community settings involving people with ID, staff or both. Dietary intake in the main meals in relation to foodwork practice was also studied. Four different foodwork practices could be distinguished. For some participants only one kind of foodwork practice was found, but for most of them two or more different practices. There was a tendency that food items and dishes chosen and used differed depending on what foodwork practice was performed, which, in turn, affected the nutrient intake. More attention needs to be directed to these everyday matters as a means to increase the quality of support in food for people with ID.

Keywords

• community housing
• foodwork
• intellectual disability
• dietary intake