study of the dietary pattern, nutrients intake and nutritional status of elderly in Alexandria

Malnutrition is a common public health problem in the elderly and is often associated with increased morbidity and reduced quality of life. This study was initiated to investigate the nutritional status, nutrients intake and dietary pattern of elderly males and females in Alexandria. The sample of the study was taken from two elderly clubs and two social clubs and included 131 males and 116 female aged 60 years and over. Each subject was privately interviewed to collect information on socio-demographic data, dietary pattern, appetite status and causes of its loss, nutrition related problems, preferred and avoided foods. The nutritional status was assessed by measuring height and weight that were used for the calculation of the BMI. The daily nutrients intake was assessed using the 24 hours dietary recall method. The results show that underweight was more prevalent among males [34.3%] while overweight and obesity were more prevalent among females. Obesity was also more prevalent among high income group [21.6%] while underweight was highly prevalent among low income elderly [35.2%]. The nutrient density was acceptable with proteins providing around 12% of the caloric intake, fats around 28% and carbohydrates provided around 60% of the calories. A high proportion of males [31.27%] received less than two third of the energy RDAs, while 39.7% and 31.6% of the females received less than 67% of the iron and calcium requirements. Occasional and frequent loss of appetite was more common among females and was mostly induced by social factors [33.8%], health problems 030.9%] and emotional stress [19.1%]. Shopping for food represented a major problem for the elderly [27.1%] followed by chewing problem [23.5%], self feeding [20.7%] and recent weight loss [17.4%]. The results show that more males [29.8%] were consuming special diet as compared with females [19.8%]. The majority of the females consumed two meals daily [37.1%] while 57.3% of the males consumed three meals daily. Vitamin and mineral supplement were most common among the elderly. Animal protein and fruits were the most preferred foods and vegetables [23.1%], spicy foods [19.4%] and fried foods [19.0%] were the most avoided foods. The results confirm that both under nutrition, overweight and obesity are prevalent among the elderly and are associated with inadequate dietary food intake and poor dietary pattern which necessitates the planning and implementation of a nutrition intervention program to improve the nutritional status of the elderly

Evaluation of food rationing and subsidy program

Egypt's food rationing and subsidy system has been a mainstay of the government's long-term policy of promoting social equity and political stability. There is an increasing pressure to reform if not eliminating the subsidy program. Few studies were carried-out to evaluate the current subsidy system. The aim of this study is to assess the consumption of subsidized and unsubsidized bread, identify the factors affecting dispensing rationed foods and to determine consumer's opinion towards the subsidy program. The subjects of this study were 204 employees from Alexandria University hospitals. Data were collected by direct interview using a predesigned questionnaire. Data were collected on the socioeconomic characteristics of the family, purchase of subsidized balady and unsubsidized shami and fino bread. The fate of the subsidized bread and consumers' suggestions to improve its quality were assessed. The rate of dispensing foods through ration cards was determined. Consumers' opinion of the nutritional values of the subsidized foods and the preferred mode of subsidy were recorded. The results show that subsidized balady bread was consumed by all social strata, the percapita share of low socioeconomic groups was more than 3 loafs daily. Shami and Fino bread was consumed mostly by high income bracket. The results show that 14.2% of the balady bread was wasted and 10.8% was refrigerated. The majority [46.7%] recommended no change in the current bread subsidy system and 28.9% recommended improved baking. The quantity of foods dispensed by ration card varied with the type of food. The whole quantity of allocated sugar was dispensed by 78.0% of the sample compared with tea which was least collected [49.5%]. Poor quality was the main reason for not dispensing the whole quantity, however, it was reported by some consumers that the rationed quantity of sugar and oil exceeded their needs. The results show that 48.0% of the sample believed that food subsidy improves nutrition while 28.9% reported that it has no effect. The present card system of delivering subsidized food was preferred [52.0%] fearing that cash subsidy will not be enough [54.7%] or will be associated with a sharp increase in food price

Factors affecting complementary feeding pattern in Alexandria

The nutritional needs of infants and young children change rapidly and their eating pattern progresses from breast milk and formula to more varied diets initiated by complementary feeding. Inappropriate feeding pattern is a major cause of the onset of malnutrition. The mother is responsible for the initiation, timing, and composition of complementary foods. This study was carried out to evaluate the impact of maternal factors on complementary feeding in Alexandria. The sample included 360 mothers of children in the age group 6-24 months attending the well baby Clinic in 3 MCH centers in Alexandria. Each mother was privately interviewed using a structured questionnaire to collect the needed data. The results show that 50-60% of the mothers derived their information about complementary feeding from family and friends, while 32.2% relied on the health team. More than 60% of the infants received complementary feeding before the age of 4 months, dairy products were the major complementary food [51 .9%] followed by cereals [23.3%]. The majority of the children [45.0%] were given 3 meals daily while 21.9% were given two meals only. The foods were prepared for every meal [68.6%], once daily [25.3%] or every two days [6.1%]. Spicy, fatty, and sweetened foods are omitted from the infants' food. The results show that maternal factors such as the level of education of the mother, her employment status, and age had a clear significant effect on the source of information regarding complementary feeding, age at introducing food and the type used, meal frequency, and types of foods omitted