Differences in Dietary Patterns among the Polish Elderly: A Challenge for Public Health

The aim of the study was to assess the diversity of dietary patterns within the elderly, in relation to the region of residence, household structure, and socioeconomic status. The questionnaire was conducted in a group of 427 Polish adults aged 60 and older from June to September 2019. The sample was selected by means of the snowball method in two regions. Principal component analysis (PCA) was used to extract and identify three dietary patterns (factors) from the frequency of eating 32 groups of foods. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the relationship between the identified dietary patterns (DPs), region, household status, and socioeconomic index (SES). Adherence to the identified DPs, i.e., traditional, prudent, and adverse, was associated with socioeconomic status (SES) and living environment, i.e., living alone, with partner, or with family, while the region did not differentiate them. Less people living with their family were characterized by the frequent consumption of traditional food (the upper tertile of this DP), while more of them often consumed food that was typical for both prudent and adverse DPs (the upper tertiles of these DPs). The presence of a partner when living with family did not differentiate the adherence to DPs. A high SES decreased the chances of adhering to the upper tertiles of the "prudent" and "traditional" DPs, while living with family increased the chances of adhering to both the upper and middle tertiles of the "prudent" DP. Identifying the dietary patterns of the elderly contributes to a better understanding of the food intake of the senior citizens living in different social situations, in order to support public policies and nutritional counseling among this age group.