Factors associated with impaired appetite in well-functioning community-dwelling older adults

Poor appetite in older adults is a common problem in clinical practice, but prevalence of this symptom and its risk factors in community-dwelling older adults are not well understood. As part of the Health, Aging and Body Composition Study, we ascertained self-reported impaired appetite and related factors in 2,169 older adults aged 70-79 years. About 12% of participants reported impaired appetite. Those reporting impaired appetite were more likely to be older, female, and black and to report having illness or physical conditions interfering with appetite than those not reporting impaired appetite. Hierarchical logistic regression suggested that multiple factors contributed to impaired appetite. In particular, symptomatic depression (OR (95% CI) = 2.5 (1.6- 4.1)), poor self-reported health (2.4 (1.7-3.2)), current smoking, chewing problems, reported visual impairment, weight loss since age 50, and log (TNF-alpha) were significantly related to impaired appetite.