Distance from the Community to the City Center Is a Vital Determinant of Dietary Diversity Score for Rural...

Background: There was little knowledge of the dietary diversity of older adults in rural areas, with limited studies examining their nutritional status and related factors. This study aimed to assess the nutritional status of older adults in rural communities in Taiwan and explore the association between characteristics and the dietary diversity score (DDS). Methods: We collected data on sociodemographic, nutritional status, and DDS. The DDS was estimated based on nutritional intake using a 24 h dietary recall (24HR). Participants were grouped by distance from the city center into three categories (0-4 km, 4-8 km, and >8 km) to assess their correlation with food diversity. Results: A total of 567 participants were included, of whom 81.3% were women, and 65.5% were over 75 years of age. Of the participants, 154 lived within 4 km of the city center, 255 lived 4-8 km away, and 158 resided in remote communities (>8 km from the city center). Out of 538 participants who completed the dietary questionnaire, 274 (50.9%) were categorized as having low dietary diversity (DDS ≤ 4), while 264 (49.1%) were categorized as having high dietary diversity (DDS > 4). Conclusions: Our results showed the distance from the community to the city center significantly influences the DDS of the residents in rural communities. Nearly half of the rural population has a low DDS. The implementation of the research project aimed to determine the feasibility of daily nutrition evaluation and optimization programs for the elderly in rural areas is crucial in the future.