Strategies of Improve Elderly Nutrition through Nutrition Education : Evaluation of the Effectivenss of the Program / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The increased number of elderly in Korea presents great challenges for community nutrition programs. Strategies to enchance elderly nutrition are needed, as well as dietary advice that are reality-based and tailored to the need of the elderly. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the overall effectiveness of an elderly nutrition improvement program(ENIP), by assessing changes in nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and behavior after program completion. ENIP was conducted in Suwon for 4 months in 1998 at 5 centers for the elderly. The program provided individual nutrition counseling and brief biweekly group education sessions. To stimulate participation and motivation, the elderly in two centers were served free milk packs(200ml) three time a week during the program(milk+education group), and the elderly in 3 other centers were served yoghurt on the program day(education group). Altogether, 102 subjects finished the program(milk+education group 67 ; education group 35). Data about nutrition knowledge, dietary attitudes, diet records(24 hour recall) and dietary habit was collected before(baseline) and after the program(follow-up). The Drop-out rate for the milk+education group(2.9%) was significantly lower than that for the education group(30.0%)(p<.001). The Nutrition Knowledge fo females milk+education group increased significantly after the program, but no significant differences were observed in other groups. Over 60% of all the elderly showed positive responses to the healthy eating attitudes. Energy, protein, vitamin A, riboflavin, Calcium and Potassium intakes improved in the male milk+education group. The Vitamin C intake improved in the male education group. Energy and vitamin A intakes improved in the female milk+education group and energy, vitamin A, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, Ca nad P in the female education group. A stepwise multiple regression analysis was performed to examine the effects of food intake changes on overall nutrient quality. For all elderly, the fish intake explained 12.6% of the variance, followed by candy intake and vegetable intake(model R2=19.6%). Dietary habits such as meal time regularity and salty food reduction were markedly improved in both groups. Sixty-one percent of the milk+education subjects stated their participation was voluntary and active, while 51% of education subjects did. Sixty four percent of the subjects stated their interest on diet increased remarkably through program participation. Considering the results, it is conjectured that ENIP had a great impact on nutrient intake, dietary attitudes and habits. Milk supplement showed no direct effects on elderly nutrition improvement, but it encouraged the program by reducting drop-out rates and inducing voluntary participation. Therefore milk supplement could enhance the community nutrition education program. Moreover it is strongly suggested that the ENIP be expanded to other communities.

Strategies to Improve Nutrition for the Elderly in Suwon : Analysis of Dietary Behavior and Food Preferences / 대한지역사회영양학회지

To promote health status, strategies and interventions to improve nutrition should be based on the proper diagnosis of the subject's eating patterns. The elderly usually have traditional food habits and preferences, and it is very difficult to change them. This study was designed to identify dietary behavior and food preference of the elderly, in order to provide baseline data for the Elderly Nutrition Intervention Program for the Public Health Center. A survey questionnaire was made for use by trained interviewers to query 151elderly people from 5 community elderly centers located in Suwon, Korea. The majority of them ate regularly and partook of all available side dishes. Their major dietary problems were frequent consumptions of salty foods, and eating too quickly. They consumed grains and vegetables regularly, but seldomly ate dairy products, fruits, meat and food prepared with oil. They also tended to eschew ready made processed food, high cholesterol food, and fast food. Also they did not dine out as much as younger people. Desirable eating habit score were not significantly influenced by socioeconomic variables and nutrition-related characteristics. These included nutrition knowledge, Nutritional Risk Index(NRI) and a score of health concerns. However, meal balance scores were significantly higher in the younger group(p<.05), the higher household income group(p<.05). According to stepwise multiple regression analysis, NRI was the most important determinant of a desirable eating habit score for the male elderly, whereas the score of health concerns was most important for female elderly subjects. The greatest predictor of the meal f balance score was nutrition knowledge. The elderly liked sweet tasting food, grains, rice, stews and Korean style soups. They disliked sour food, dairy products, processed food, and bread. The results indicate that the Elderly Nutrition Education Program should focus on increasing consumption of dairy products, fruits and food with oil, prepared by traditional Korean cooking methods. It also suggests that the program planning should consider the socioeconomic status of the elderly, such as income and education level, as well as concern for health.

Strategies to Improve Nutrition in the Elderly : An Analysis of Health Related Factors and the Nutritional Risk Index of the Elderly / 대한지역사회영양학회지

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.

Evaluations of the Elderly Nutrition Improvement Program in the community health center: Effects of nutrition counseling and education program on elderly dietary behavior

Low energy intakes, poor nutritional quality, and low food diversity are among the factors affecting the nutritional status of elderly in Korea. Therefore, a nutrition counseling and education program was conducted to promote dietary change and to improve nutritional status of elderly. The 7 step program consisted of a individual nutrition counseling and weekly or biweekly group nutrition education programs. Pre- and post-test measurings of dietary behaviors, attitudes, nutrition knowledge, and 24-hour dietary recall data were collected. Positive changes in the attitude related to diet were noted, whereas nutritional knowledge scores were not improved. Significant increases were noted in the frequency of vegetable consumption in female and diversity of food consumption in male. The densities of vitamin C(male & female), B1, B2, and niacin, calculated using the INQ(Index of Nutritional Quality), were significantly improved by nutrition counseling and education programs. These results suggest the appropriateness of nutrition intervention programs for the improvement of elderly nutrition.