A study proposes prescribing shared meals at restaurants to enhance social bonds

The Fundació Alícia and the Research Support Unit of Central Catalonia of IDIAPJGol and the Institut Català de la Salut have devised and designed the SALSA project. It proposes prescribing group meals in restaurants to foster the creation of bonds between people who feel lonely and to improve and prevent nutritional and emotional conditions

The SALSA Project (Health, Food, and Sociability), conceived by the Fundació Alícia and designed in conjunction with ICS Catalunya Central, aims to improve the quality of life for people living in this situation. It is a unique initiative in Catalonia that combines good cuisine with good company to demonstrate that shared meals not only satisfy the appetite but also uplift the spirit.

Elena Roura Carvajal, Scientific Director of the Fundació Alícia and the SALSA Project, explains that both scientific evidence and other studies and projects by Alícia conclude that people in situations of unwanted loneliness are at greater risk of malnutrition, given that their diet is less varied and more monotonous. From here, the following hypothesis is proposed: people in situations of unwanted loneliness ensure nutritional balance and improve their condition by sharing daily healthy meals with others. Moreover, there are other emotional and mental benefits resulting from companionship, sharing a table with others, and the social relationships that ensue.

Shared meals in Sant Joan de Vilatorrada
Participants, aged between 40 and 90, gather from Tuesday to Friday in a restaurant in the Bages region. For four months, from late February to late June, about fifty residents of Sant Joan de Vilatorrada, previously selected by the CAP and the social services of the local council, enjoy meals in company. Participants have agreed to be part of this first pilot test where they attend a daily meal in the company of others.

Evaluation and positive response from participants
The pilot results will be determined by analyzing the project's impact on indicators such as unwanted loneliness, adherence to the Mediterranean diet, depression and anxiety scales, social support, nutritional status, and healthcare costs (visits to the CAP, medication use, etc.). Anna Ruiz Comellas, the other researcher on the project, family doctor at CAP Sant Joan de Vilatorrada, researcher at the Research Support Unit of Central Catalonia of IDIAPJGol and the Institut Català de la Salut, and responsible for the study protocol, participant selection, and intervention evaluation, is very excited about the project due to “the spectacular impact it is having. My patients tell me that they are very happy and grateful because they have met many people, they feel cared for and more encouraged because leaving the house and meeting friends is very good for them. Now they ask us what will happen in July when the study ends, if they will be able to do it again... The project has been very well received and has spread by word of mouth in the village; almost every day we have requests from people who want to participate, either directly from the interested person or also from family members who believe that the proposal will improve the health of their mother or father.” CAP Sant Joan de Vilatorrada advocates for social prescribing and would like to incorporate restaurant menus as a healthy activity, just as it invites its users to participate in walks and other community activities.

A pioneering and different project with restaurants as a tool
The SALSA Project is one of the 10 projects selected in the first Call for Integrated Care from the Hub of Social and Health Innovation (HiSS): an initiative of the Consorci Sanitari de Terrassa and the Fundació Joan Costa i Roma within the Integrated Care Strategy of the Departments of Health and Social Rights and with the collaboration of the future Agency for Integrated Social and Health Care of Catalonia.

Supported by HiSS and designed by the Fundació Alícia in collaboration with the Research Support Unit of Central Catalonia of IDIAPJGol and the Institut Català de la Salut and the support of the Sant Joan de Vilatorrada Town Council, the project aims to promote a real network of communication and sociability around healthy eating to achieve autonomy and health for its participants.

For the first time, a social project of this type is proposed in Catalonia, combining three previously unestablished conditions: dining, socializing, and loneliness. With the desire to involve and improve the health and mood of people without stigmatizing or pointing out the individual conditions of the participants. Since unwanted loneliness does not understand age, economic, or social conditions, each participant comes from a different context.

An initiative with multiple benefits and the desire to recover traditional dining spaces
From Alícia and CAP Sant Joan de Vilatorrada, the aim is to address the issue of unwanted loneliness, taking into account the notable need for specific and effective interventions to combat this situation with the goal of improving the quality of life for people in this condition. The premise is that restaurants, bars, and inns in Catalonia are losing their capacities and functions due to the current economic context and the resulting changes in population habits due to globalization.

From here, these three determining factors are combined: loneliness, lack of socialization, and the desire to bring life to dining establishments as key points and hubs of socialization, human relationships, and bond creation. Therefore, SALSA aims to fill these establishments, so typical of our culture, where one can eat a daily and healthy menu at reasonable prices. By recovering these spaces, we not only promote health and sociability but also give life to our local restaurateurs, creating meeting places where everyone feels welcome.

Weekly menus to help everyone eat better
The Fundació Alícia leads this project with a clear vision of promoting healthy and sustainable eating. The menus have been designed by Alícia’s experts in collaboration with the restaurateurs, ensuring that they are nutritious, healthy, tasty, and sustainable. Weekly adapted and balanced menus have been established based on the establishment's own offerings, taking into account the specific health needs of the users. Two complete menus per week are designed, including two options for first and second courses. Thus, participants can choose according to their preferences and specific health needs.

Towards a community support network
The SALSA Project is a pilot test with great aspirations. After Sant Joan de Vilatorrada, a second test is planned in Tremp to test the applicability of the project in other local contexts. This initiative seeks to create a community support network on a regional scale, with the aim of being replicated in other municipalities with the support of local councils.

Unwanted loneliness, a condition suffered by many people regardless of age or economy, is increasingly present, showing the worst version of isolation. The number of people suffering from unwanted loneliness indicates the difficulty of quality human relationships in today's society. It is a complex phenomenon considered a socio-health problem, often invisible and stigmatized, that significantly affects the quality of life and health of those who suffer from it. According to a recent study by the State Observatory of Unwanted Loneliness, it is estimated that 13.4% of people suffer from unwanted loneliness. According to this study, most people believe that politics and the media should pay more attention to this problem, and 82% believe that it is everyone’s task to combat loneliness.