Wasting malnutrition and inadequate nutrient intakes identified in a multiethnic homeless population

The few previous studies of the nutritional status and dietary intakes of the homeless have been limited by small sample sizes. We collected information from a multiethnic sample of 277 homeless men and women in Miami, Fla. Data collected included a brief personal history, anthropometric variables, and a detailed 24-hour dietary recall. An additional 24-hour dietary recall was collected from a subsample of 36 men. Socioeconomic characteristics of our sample were similar to that of other samples of the homeless. Using measurements of the upper arm muscle area, we identified wasting malnutrition in 20% of the men. Dietary intakes (percentage of the Recommended Dietary Allowances [RDAs] +/- standard error of the mean) for energy (82 +/- 2.88%), calcium (63 +/- 3.28%), zinc (56 +/- 2.61%), and vitamin B-6 (68 +/- 3.93%) were significantly below RDA guidelines for all ethnic groups. In addition, thiamin (75 +/- 6.34%) intakes for whites and vitamin A (61 +/- 12.53%) and riboflavin (74 +/- 7.72%) intakes for Hispanics were below RDA guidelines. Compared with men, women consumed significantly less energy, calcium, and zinc.