Life style and nutrient intake in the elderly

The life styles of the elderly population under study indicate that they had positive attitudes toward health in general and toward food and eating, Their food habits and beliefs were free from faddism, they were willing to try new foods and to change at least some of their food habits, and they had a good appetite for meals. Meal patterns and choice of foods, snacks, and food likes were toward foods of high nutritive value. They had comparatively few food dislikes, and the majority ate three meals a day. Many of the participants in this study had nutrient intakes of less than two-thirds the 1974 RDA'S. Food choices, meal patterns, and beliefs about food suggest that economic factors strongly influenced dietary adequacy and limited the food choices and size of servings. Black females appear to be the most disadvantaged group. All of these findings are a strong indicator of the need for group feeding programs for the elderly. Such meal programs should provide at least one-third of the daily nutrient needs, and should be pleasurable experiences using foods appropriate to the food habits and beliefs of the specific groups, their locale, and their cultural-economic backgrounds. These programs should also be accompanied by realistic nutrition education programs designed to provide guidance in buying and using foods of highest nutritive value within their resources. The need for such programs becomes increasingly urgent because of today's rapidly increasing food prices.