International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences 2013; 2(3) : 109-115 Published online May 2, 2013 (http://www.sciencepublishinggroup.com/j/ijnfs) doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130203.13 Determinants of eating habits among pre-retired and post-retired Mauritians Yashvee Dunneram 1 , Deerajen Ramasawmy 2 , Prity Pugo-Gunsam 3 , Rajesh Jeewon 1,* 1 Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, Reduit, Mauritius 2 Department of Management, Faculty of Law and Management, University of Mauritius, Reduit, Mauritius 3 Department of Biosciences, Faculty of Science, University of Mauritius, Reduit, Mauritius Email address: r.jeewon@uom.ac.mu (R. Jeewon) To cite this article Yashvee Dunneram, Deerajen Ramasawmy, Prity Pugo-Gunsam, Rajesh Jeewon. Determinants of Eating Habits among Pre-Retired and Post-Retired Mauritians. International Journal of Nutrition and Food Sciences. Vol. 2, No. 3, 2013, pp. 109-115. doi: 10.11648/j.ijnfs.20130203.13 Abstract: The aging population (60 years and above) is becoming a global phenomenon and so is in Mauritius and over the last 4 years there has been an increase of 20.4%. There is an inadequate nutrition-related data among the older adults in Mauritius and in addition the factors influencing eating habits warrant investigation. This study aimed to understand how socioeconomic factors (income level and employment status), physical activity level, body mass index, nutritional knowledge is associated with eating habits of pre-retired and post-retired Mauritians. A survey based questionnaire was used to elicit information of the various factors. Chi square test, Independent sample t-test, One-way variance analysis and Pearson cor- relation were the main statistical tests used to determine relationship between eating habits and the different factors. Healthy food items were more frequently consumed by high income earners as compared to low income earners. Similarly, post-retired participants and those having high physical activity level consumed healthy food items more frequently. Low physical activity level was associated with high consumption rate of fast food and low intake of fruits and vegetables. There was also positive influence of nutritional knowledge on eating habits. Income level, employment status, physical activity level and nutritional knowledge have a great impact on the eating habits whereas no relation was found between eating habits and body mass index. Keywords: Socioeconomic Factors, Physical Activity Level, Body Mass Index, Nutritional Knowledge, Eating Habits 1. Introduction Numerous factors are involved in determining eating ha- bits including gender, marital status and household compo- sition, socio-economic position, income, physical activity, smoking, body mass index (BMI) and health but the influ- ence of these factors on eating habits has received little consideration among older adults [1]. In a cohort study carried out in Denmark, both older men and women reported a decreased intake in the frequency of animal and vegetable fats, milk, eggs, meat products, white bread and potatoes, while they increased intakes of low-fat margarine, fruit, raw vegetables, coarse breads, oatmeal, pasta, rice, cakes and candy [2]. Moreover, Helldan et al. [1] demonstrated that there is a difference in the eating habits of retired persons and working persons and that transition to retirement opens up opportunities for healthier food habits for women. However, differences in eating habits among pre-retired and post-retired are not always clear-cut. For instance, a longi- tudinal survey in United Kingdom reported little change between pre-retires and post-retires in intake of fibre rich foods [3]. Retirement age worsens the overall health and increases the risk of developing diseases, such as cardiovascular, metabolic syndrome, osteoporosis and cancer [4]. The Na- tional NCD survey [5] carried out in Mauritius reported that in the age group 25 to 74 years, the prevalence of diabetes is 23.6% and that of hypertension is 37.9% and only 16.5% of them undertake sufficient vigorous or moderate physical activity to meet the national guidelines of 30 minutes of exercise each day [6]. Indeed some studies have focused on the exercise level among older adults which put forward that to some extent lower "intensity" exercise can setback mor- tality or reduce the occurrence of disease for older adults [7]. The increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity af- fects the older population but this has received quite atten-