Background: Menopause is associated with metabolic, sensory, and psychosocial changes that may reshape eating behaviours and nutrition-related quality of life. This study explored how women experience nutrition and chemosensory changes during menopause and how these intersect with identity, control, and social practices. Methods: We conducted online focus groups (Microsoft Teams) with women living in Ireland (n = 40; mean age 58.3 years (±4.5 years)) between January and March 2025. Discussions followed a semi-structured guide focused on taste/smell, appetite, food choice, and coping. Sessions were recorded, transcribed, anonymised, and analysed following Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis. Results: Four themes captured patterned meanings in the dataset: (1) Chemosensory Changes—reports of diminished taste, contrasted with heightened smell and selective intensification (sweetness), prompting compensatory behaviours (more salt/spice/strong coffee) and new aversions (e.g., cucumber, spicy dishes) alongside unexpected likes (e.g., dark chocolate); (2) Behavioural and Emotional Consequences—increased snacking, sugar/salt cravings, and perceived loss of satiety co-occurred with weight gain and altered body shape, undermining food pleasure and self-confidence; (3) Interacting Influences—affecting vasomotor symptoms, sleep disturbance, joint pain, and “brain fog” compounded dietary disruptions and social withdrawal (e.g., embarrassment about appetite, reduced desire to dine out); (4) Strategies for Wellbeing—women described medical approaches (HRT, prescribed medications) alongside food modifications and the importance of diagnosis, information, and peer/professional support. Conclusions: Menopause reshapes sensory perception and eating behaviour in complex, individualised ways that extend beyond biology to identity and social life. Nutrition care should integrate symptom management with person-centred strategies and improved access to evidence-based information, diagnosis, and support networks.

The Need for New Product Development in Food Packaging to Cater for Sensory Decline and Compromised Nutritional Status in Elderly Consumers in Ir | POSTER

Background/Objectives: Eating disorders (EDs) have historically been associated with young women, and their presence in older adults remains poorly recognized despite evidence that they can persist, recur, or emerge in later life. Primary care nurses are strategically positioned for community-based detection, yet their perspective has been scarcely explored. This study aimed to examine the experiences, perceptions, and described practices of primary care nurses regarding EDs and disordered eating in older adults, identifying patterns, barriers to detection, and training needs. Methods: A qualitative study with a descriptive design was conducted in three Primary Health Care Centers from different health areas of Spain. Thirty-two registered practicing nurses participated in three focus groups, guided by a clinical vignette and a semi-structured interview guide. Data were analyzed following Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis, supported by ATLAS.ti software (version 24.2, 2024). Results: EDs in older adults frequently remained invisible to professionals, sustained by three interrelated mechanisms: the cultural hegemony of the biomedical paradigm, which reframes symptoms as organic or cognitive; a selective historicization that attributes altered eating to the postwar “hunger years”; and an “ageism of care” that normalizes warning signs as expected features of aging. Notably, when the diagnostic possibility was explicitly named, participants retrospectively reinterpreted cases they had previously explained in other terms. Conclusions: This invisibility stems not from an absence of clinical signs, but from professional, cultural, and institutional interpretive frameworks. Findings underscore the need for specific training, adapted screening tools, and a critical perspective on ageism in nursing practice.