Nutritional and Health Status of the Elderly Living in Songnam II. Dietary Habits and Nutrient Intakes

The purpose of this study was to investigate the dietary habits and nutrient intakes of the elderly living in Songnam area. Responses from 318(153 men, 165 women) elderly individuals aged from 58 to 92 were analyzed. The results of this study are as follows. Regular dietary habit scores of the elderly women were worse than those of the men. Balanced dietary habit scores turned out to be the lowest among the various measured indices. The dietary assessment data showed that the energy intakes of males and females were 86.8% and 83.1% of the RDAs, respectively. The nutrients taken less than RDA on the daily basis were protein, calcium, iron, vitamin A and vitamin B. Nutrient intakes were gradually decreased as the age increased. Energy intakes of males and females from carbohydrate were 70% and 73% respectively. Vitamin A, vitamin B, and calcium were the most deficient nutrients on the basis of the intake percentage of RDA. Therefore, to improve nutritional status of the elderly, it is recommended that intakes of vitamin A, B and calcium-rich food should be increased. Also suitable dietary guidelines and educational programs seem to be necessary for promoting health conditions of elderly people in Songnam area.