OBJECTIVES This study examined the characteristics and nutritional risk of the elderly who receive home delivery services. We then analyzed the effects of the characteristics of the elderly who receive the home-delivery meal service on their nutritional risk. METHODS A total of 220 respondents who receive home-delivery meal service in Seoul participated in the survey. The survey consisted of the characteristics of the elderly (health status, tooth condition, physical activity, social participation activity, depression and relationship with neighbors), nutritional risk assessment and other general matters. The data was analyzed by using the SPSS program. Cross-tabulation analysis, t-test, correlation analysis and regression analysis were all conducted. RESULTS 47.0% of the subjects were under 80 years old and 53.0% were over 80 years old, The nutritional risk score, as evaluated by a Nutrition Screening Initiative (NSI) checklist was 10.7 points, and the high nutrition risk group was 91.5% of the subjects. The subjective self-health status score was 2.24 points (out of a total of 5 points) and the tooth status score was 3.30 points. The physical activity level was 2.17 points for the under 80 years old group and 1.76 points for the over 80 years old, and there was a significant difference according to age (p<0.01), The higher the health status, tooth condition, physical activity and social participation activity level, the lower was the nutritional risk. Further, the higher the degree of depression, the higher was the nutritional risk. CONCLUSIONS For the healthy life of the elderly in the community, various welfare policies should be planned to increase social participation as well as to promote physical health and reduce depression.
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Undernutrition could be a significant deterrent to healthy aging and could negatively affect health outcomes in elderly. This study aimed to assess health-related factors which are associated with nutritional risks in middle-aged and elderly individuals by a cross-sectional study. Interviews were conducted with 2660 subjects (847 males, 1813 females), aged 50 years and over, in 15 cities in Korea. Data on food intake were obtained through a validated semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires. Nutritional status were analyzed according to health-related factors including cigarette smoking, alcohol drinking, exercise, stress and depression level. Less regular exercise was associated with a higher likelihood of a poor nutrition [odds ratio (OR) 1.94; 95% confidence intervals (CI) 1.43-2.65] of middle-aged and elderly male subjects. Cigarette smoking (OR 1.84; 95% CI 1.24-2.71), less exercise (OR 2.58; 95% CI 2.07-3.21), stress (OR 1.73; 95% CI 1.36-2.22), and depression (OR 1.34; 95% CI 1.08-1.67) of middle-aged and elderly female subjects was associated with a higher likelihood of a poor nutrition. The results of the multiple regression analysis showed that less exercise proved to be the strongest predictors for the poor nutrition, followed by stress, smoking, and depression (model R2= 9.0%). It suggests that guidance to promote regular exercise, to quit smoking, to minimize stress and depression level might help to improve nutritional status of middle-aged and elderly in Korea. These findings also suggest that having recommendable health behaviors are beneficial to the good nutrition of subjects aged 50 years and over.
The purpose of this study was to investigate nutritional risk factors, perceptions on nutrition and health, nutritional knowledge, flood habits and their correlation to supplement use in middle-aged and elderly Koreans. A nationwide survey was conducted in the metropolitan areas (6 cities) and middle-sized cities (8 cities) of Korea from October to December, 2000. Subjects were randomly selected based on population, and 2,188 non-institutionalized adults aged over 50, and elderly (male 765, female 1,423) were studied. Data were collected using a standardized questionnaire administered in personal interviews. Nutrition and health-related scores of nutritional risk factors, perceptions on nutrition and health, nutritional knowledge, and flood habits were significantly higher in supplement users as compared to non-users. There was a negative correlation between nutritional risk factors and other nutrition and health-related scores on perceptions on nutrition and health, nutritional knowledge, flood habits, and pocket money. Also there was a positive correlation between nutritional risk factors and age. Therefore, these results may provide basic information for proper supplement use by middle-aged and elderly Koreans.
The nutritional and health status of low-income alone-living elderly(ALE) was assessed in relation to the activity of daily living (ADL) and nutritional risk factors. One hundred and eighty five ALE over 65 years old, living in the Sungnam area, were interviewed in their homes through questionnaires. The results were as follows : 63.6% of the subjects considered themselves in poor the health and only 4.3% of them considered thermselves healthy. 89.7% of the subjects answered that they were suffering from illness and 29.7% were taking medication. The ADL was assessed through 10 checklist items and the average score of the ADL was 84.78+/-11.11(maximum :100) The nutritional risk index(NRI) was evaluated by 12 risk factors and the average score of the NRI was 4.43+/-1.38 (maximum: 12) The scores of the ADL were positively correlated with the scored of the instrumental activities of daily living (IADL)(r=0.7523, p<0.001) and negatively correlated with NRI(r=-0.2694, p<0.001) When subjects were divided into nutritionally high risk group(HNARI: NRI> or =5) and nutritionally low risk group(LNRI :NRI<5) according to the USA screening basis, 48.9% of the subjects belonged to the HNRI, But 16.9% of the HNRI and 34.4% of the LNRI belonged to the fourth quartile(Q/sub 0.75) of the ADL, the distribution of which showed significant differences(p<0.05) We suggest that the application of the ADL as a screening tool for nutrition intervention programs for the elderly. Oncemore, further research is needed to develop appropriate checklist items for the ADL and NRI along with the screening basis for the NRI to diagnose the adverse nutritional status of the Korean elderly.
The elderly are the most rapidly growing segment of the population in Korea and the largest consumers of expensive medical care. It is reasonable to believe that improving the nutritional status would be beneficial to reducing morbidity and to improving the quality of their lives. This study was conducted to assess the health status and the Nutritional Risk Index of the elderly, and to provide the basic data for the Elderly Nutrition Improvement Program at the Public Health Center. One hundred and forty seven(76 males. 71 females) aged 60 years and over living in Suwon, were assessed with anthropometric measurements, body fat analysis, blood pressure measurements, and a set of about health and other related variables. Over half of them had less than a junior middle school education and were considered low income. The percentage of overweight and obese subjects was 33% by the BMI(Body Mass Index), and the prevalence of hypertension was 28%(males) and 31%(females). They had a lot of self-recognized health problems, the male elderly complained about more than the female elderly. In the case of psychological health status, however, the female elderly showed a higher proportions of depression than the male elderly(p<0.05). In social health status, the elderly had good relationships with friends and collegues, whereas they had poor relationships with their families. They had many nutritional risk factors, and smoking was the most prevalent risk factor for the male elderly and anemia was for the female elderly. The results of this study suggest that Elderly Nutrition Improvement Programs should be planned that can be easily followed. It would be helpful to design a program focusing on individual phychological and social health status, this would increase the efficiency of the program.