Food and nutrient intake of Irish community-dwelling elderly subjects: Who is at nutritional risk?

• Published in: The Journal of nutrition, health & aging health & aging, 2014, Vol.18 (6), p.561-572
• Main Authors: Power, S. E, Jeffery, I. B, Ross, R. P, Stanton, C, O’Toole, P. W, O’Connor, E. M, Fitzgerald, Gerald F
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Alcohol Drinking; ascorbic acid; Biological and medical sciences; calcium; Calcium, Dietary - administration & dosage; Chronic illnesses; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dairy Products; desserts; Diet; Diet - statistics & numerical data; Diet Surveys; Dietary Carbohydrates - administration & dosage; dietary fat; Dietary Fats - administration & dosage; Disease; elderly; Exercise; fat intake; Feeding Behavior; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; females; folic acid; Food; food frequency questionnaires; food intake; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geriatrics/Gerontology; health status; Hospitals; Humans; Ireland - epidemiology; Long term health care; magnesium; Male; males; Malnutrition; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Mortality; Neurosciences; Nutrition; nutrition assessment; Nutrition research; Nutritional Status; Obesity; Obesity - epidemiology; Older people; Overweight; Overweight - epidemiology; Population; Primary Care Medicine; Quality of life; Quality of Life Research; Research ethics; Residence Characteristics; residential housing; Risk; Surveys and Questionnaires; sweets; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; vitamin D; Vitamins - administration & dosage; White People; zinc
• ISSN: 1279-7707; 1760-4788
• DOI: 10.1007/s12603-014-0449-9

Objectives: To assess the dietary intakes of Irish community-dwelling elderly individuals, participating in the ELDERMET project. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: Cork city and county region of southern Ireland. Participants: Two hundred and eight (94 males, 114 females) community-dwelling subjects aged 64-93 yrs. Measurements: Dietary intake was assessed using a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). Anthropometric data were recorded. Nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Results: A high rate of overweight/obesity was observed in this population group. Consumption of energy-dense, low-nutrient foods was excessive among this population group. Older elderly subjects (≥75 yrs) consumed significantly (P