‘I come for the friendship’: Why social eating matters

Objectives: To explore an innovative social eating programme model for older Tasmanians, Eating with Friends (EWF), from the perspectives of its participants, to establish how successfully it is meeting the organisational aims of strengthening community, reducing social isolation and enhancing mental well-being.

Methods: Focus groups and in-depth interviews, together with brief individual questionnaires, were undertaken with participants in four EWF groups: two urban and two rural, and with two well-established and two recently established groups.

Results: The study found that EWF was meeting the social eating needs of its participants, doing so through nurturing a sense of community.

Conclusion: The flexible model used by EWF was key to its success in achieving its aims. This allowed individual groups to evolve in ways which fitted the needs and aspirations of participants. While participants enjoyed their meals, the social environment and meal settings were determining factors for ongoing participation in EWF.