Public Health Nutrition: 14(9), 1640–1649 doi:10.1017/S1368980011000747 Food shopping habits, physical activity and health-related indicators among adults aged $70 years Janice L Thompson 1, *, Georgina Bentley 1 , Mark Davis 1 , Jo Coulson 1 , Afroditi Stathi 2 and Kenneth R Fox 1 1 Centre for Exercise, Nutrition and Health Sciences, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, 8 Priory Road, Bristol BS81TZ, UK: 2 School for Health, University of Bath, Bath, UK Submitted 27 August 2010: Accepted 25 February 2011: First published online 6 May 2011 Abstract Objective: To investigate the food shopping habits of older adults in the UK and explore their potential associations with selected health-related indicators. Design: A cross-sectional study including objectively measured physical activity levels, BMI, physical function and self-reported health status and dietary intake. Setting: Bristol, UK. Subjects: A total of 240 older adults aged $70 years living independently. Results: Mean age was 78?1(SD 5?7) years; 66?7 % were overweight or obese and 4 % were underweight. Most (80?0 %) carried out their own food shopping; 53?3 % shopped at least once weekly. Women were more likely to shop alone (P , 0?001) and men more likely to shop with their spouse (P , 0?001). Men were more likely than women to drive to food shopping (P , 0?001), with women more likely to take the bus or be driven (P , 0?001). Most reported ease in purchasing fruit and vegetables (72?9 %) and low-fat products (67?5 %); 19?2% reported low fibre intakes and 16?2 % reported high fat intakes. Higher levels of physical function and physical activity and better general health were significantly correlated with the ease of purchasing fresh fruit, vegetables and low-fat products. Shopping more often was associated with higher fat intake (P 5 0?03); higher levels of deprivation were associated with lower fibre intake (P 5 0?019). Conclusions: These findings suggest a pattern of food shopping carried out pri- marily by car at least once weekly at large supermarket chains, with most finding high-quality fruit, vegetables and low-fat products easily accessible. Higher levels of physical function and physical activity and better self-reported health are important in supporting food shopping and maintaining independence. Keywords Independence Food shopping Ageing Elderly Physical function Older adults comprise the fastest-growing population group, with WHO projecting a total of 1?2 billion people over the age of 60 years by 2025 (1) . In 2001, there were approximately 1 million adults aged $85 years in England and Wales, with this number projected to increase to 2?5 million (or 4 % of the total population) by 2031 (2) . In these countries there has been a 14-fold and 23-fold increase in the number of male and female centenarians, respectively, over the past 50 years of the 20th century (3) . This substantial increase in the number of older adults has important implications for individuals, families and health- and social-care systems, as there is the potential for many people to live a greater number of years in poor health. Older adults are at greatest risk for lifestyle-related diseases, including type 2 diabetes, CHD, stroke, hyper- tension and certain cancers. In the UK, 41 % of men and 38 % of women aged 60–74 years suffer from a chronic illness that limits daily activities; this increases to 58 % of men and 62 % of women over the age of 75 years (4) . Interventions incorporating healthy eating and regular physical activity are known to be effective in reducing the risks of several chronic diseases (5,6) , emphasising the significant contribution of these lifestyle factors towards maintaining good health throughout an individual’s life span. Malnutrition is estimated to affect .10 % of older adults in the UK (7) . Data from the Health Survey for England indicate that 0?9 % of adults aged 65–74 years and 1?6% of those aged $75 years are underweight. Conversely, 76?2 % and 68?9 % of adults in these respective age groups are considered overweight or obese (8) . Limited access to affordable healthy foods, difficulties in acquiring, preparing and consuming healthy meals, existing illness, medication use, age-related physiological changes, low levels of physical activity and financial difficulties are *Corresponding author: Email Janice.thompson@bristol.ac.uk r The Authors 2011