Egg phobia in retirement homes: Health risk perceptions among elderly Chinese

Studies pertaining to health promoting behavior in daily life have received scant attention among medical anthropologists. The present study addresses this issue by means of an empirical analysis of perceptions and behaviors concerning a daily food item - eggs. Data were collected via in-depth interviews as well as participant observation in four retirement homes - two in Los Angeles and two in Taipei, Taiwan. The results reveal that practices of egg-restriction are pervasive throughout the four homes. Cholesterol has become a commonly-discussed issue in the daily lives of the 203 residents interviewed, and many of them were found to be preoccupied with the risk involved in excess consumption (especially of egg yolks) and increased serum cholesterol levels. Four forces: health professionals, family members, peer groups and mass media play important roles in constructing egg-consumption behaviors among the elderly subjects. The cognitive, psychological and behavioral impact of health information on elderly subjects has been discussed herein. It may be argued that the 'egg issue' reflects a shift in previous health paradigm thinking due to the biomedicalization of health promotion among Chinese elderly.