Differences in the technical and applied nutrition knowledge of older adults

Although elder adults are much more knowledgeable about nutrition than ever before, diet behavior is not consistent with nutrition knowledge. One of the reasons for this inconsistency may be that the ability to apply technical nutrition knowledge is still inadequate. To test the hypothesis that technical nutrition knowledge is superior to applied nutrition knowledge, 96 volunteer seniors were given technical nutrition knowledge tests associated with heart disease, cancer, and high blood pressure. After the technical knowledge tests, subjects were asked to choose from among pairs the item that contained: (a) cholesterol, (b) more saturated fat, (c) more polyunsaturated fat, (d) substances that help to lower blood cholesterol, (e) more fiber, and (f) less sodium. Results support the notion that, in general, elder ability to apply nutrition knowledge is not as adequate as their technical nutrition knowledge.