Social support and nutritional status: Positive psychological capital as a mediator

• Qian Xu

  Department of Clinical Nutrition, Peking University People’s Hospital, and Institute of Medical Technology, Peking University Health Science Center

• Lin Shao

  Peking University People’s Hospital

• Shilong Zhao

  Peking University People’s Hospital

• Jingjing Cai

  Peking University People’s Hospital

• Lulu Lu

  Peking University People’s Hospital

• Boshi Wang

  Peking University People’s Hospital

• Peng Liu

  Department of Clinical Nutrition, Peking University People’s Hospital, and Institute of Medical Technology, Peking University Health Science Center

Nutrition is a critical public health concern for older adults and could be influenced by psychosocial factors. We explored the relationships of social support, positive psychological capital, and nutritional status among older adults from the perspective of positive psychology. We used random sampling to recruit 151 community-dwelling older adults aged 60 and over, and they took part in face-to-face or telephone interviews using a standardized questionnaire. Hierarchical linear regression and bootstrapping analyses were applied to examine mediation effects. The results show that there were significant positive correlations between the participants’ social support, positive psychological capital, and nutritional status. Furthermore, we found a significant mediating effect of positive psychological capital in the relationship between social support and nutritional status. These findings are of significance for adopting positive psychology interventions to maintain and improve older adults’ nutritional status.

1. Lin Shao, Peking University People’s Hospital
   Department of Clinical Nutrition
2. Shilong Zhao, Peking University People’s Hospital
   Department of Clinical Nutrition
3. Jingjing Cai, Peking University People’s Hospital
   Department of Clinical Nutrition
4. Lulu Lu, Peking University People’s Hospital
   Department of Clinical Nutrition
5. Boshi Wang, Peking University People’s Hospital
   Department of Clinical Nutrition

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