Related Experiment Videos
Eating Behavior Patterns, Food Group Intake Frequency, and Sarcopenia in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A
Tomoki Tanaka1,2, Fumika Kamijo3, Hiroko Ito3
1Institute of Gerontology The University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan.
Background And Aim:
A protein-rich and diverse diet is essential for maintaining muscle health, but issues such as eating alone, shopping difficulties, and reduced appetite negatively impact dietary habits in older adults. This study aimed to examine the relationship between eating behavior patterns, food group intake frequency, dietary variety and sarcopenia among community-dwelling older adults.
Methods:
The study included 2004 men and women (72.9 ± 5.5 year old) from the Kashiwa Study, excluding those with cognitive impairment or missing data. Eating behaviors were classified into four clusters using latent class analysis based on 13 eating-related indicators. Dietary content was evaluated by the frequency of intake across 10 food groups and the dietary variety score (DVS). Sarcopenia was diagnosed using AWGS 2019, and logistic regression analysis compared its prevalence among the clusters.
Results:
The four clusters were: (1) No preparation difficulty, normal appetite type (64.8%, no difficulties, normal food intake), (2) No preparation difficulty, high appetite type (20.0%, large meal size, enjoys meals), (3) No preparation difficulty, low appetite type (11.4%, low appetite), and (4) Preparation-difficulty type (3.8%, difficulty in meal preparation). The DVS did not differ significantly across the four clusters. However, specific food group intake frequencies differed by cluster; the Preparation-difficulty type had lower intake frequencies of meat, seafood, soybean products, and fruits. Sarcopenia risk was lower in the No preparation difficulty, high appetite type (odds ratio 0.7 [0.4-1.3]) but significantly higher in the No preparation difficulty, low appetite type (2.8 [1.9-4.3]) and Preparation-difficulty type (2.3[1.2-4.3]).
Conclusions:
Eating behavior patterns, such as difficulty with meal preparation and low appetite, are related to specific food group intake frequencies and sarcopenia. These findings suggest that multidimensional assessment of eating behavior may help identify older adults who could benefit from nutritional assessment and support.
