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Interventions and public health nutrition

Nutritional risk of European elderly

European Journal of Clinical Nutrition volume 67, pages 1215–1219 (2013)Cite this article

Subjects

Abstract

Background/objectives:

The elderly constitute a population group with a high prevalence of non-communicable chronic diseases and high risk of malnutrition. The aim of this study was to identify factors associated to nutritional risk in free-living European elderly.

Subjects/methods:

The sample included 644 European citizens, free living in the community, aged 65 years or more. The sample was quota controlled for age groups (65–74, ⩾75 years), gender (male/female) and living circumstances (living alone/with others). Logistic regression was performed to identify factors associated with nutritional risk.

Results:

Several variables regarding socio-demographic characteristics, food choice, health status and the satisfaction with food-related life were included in the analysis. According to the recoded score of the ‘Determine your nutritional health’ (NSI checklist), 53% of the elderly were at nutritional risk. Nutritional risk was more likely to occur in elderly who considered that it was more important to choose foods ‘easy to chew’; with lower average number of fruit and vegetables (F&V) intake episodes and lower score for general health. It was also found in non-married participants; those that did not identify changes in their appetite; and those that felt changes in health status. In this sample, the lowest nutritional risk was found for body mass index (BMI) around 18.5 kg/m2. Country of residence, gender and age were not found to have a significant effect on nutritional risk.

Conclusions:

Attention should be drawn to the living circumstances, changes in appetite or health, the general heath perception, F&V intake, choice of foods easy to chew and having a low or high BMI.

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Acknowledgements

The data used in this article belong to the European Project ‘Food in later life. Choosing foods, eating meals: sustaining independence and quality of life’ financed by the European Commission (QLK1CT200202447).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Nutrition and Food Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal

    C de Morais, B Oliveira, C Afonso & M D V de Almeida

  2. Laboratório de Inteligência Artificial e Apoio à Decisão, Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores do Porto—Tecnologia e Ciência, Porto, Portugal

    B Oliveira

  3. School of Hospitality and Tourism Management, Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, University of Surrey, Surrey, UK

    M Lumbers

  4. Food, Consumer Behaviour and Health, University of Surrey, Surrey, UK

    M Raats

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  1. C de Morais
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  2. B Oliveira
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  4. M Lumbers
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Correspondence to C de Morais.

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de Morais, C., Oliveira, B., Afonso, C. et al. Nutritional risk of European elderly. Eur J Clin Nutr 67, 1215–1219 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejcn.2013.175

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