Predictors of dietary intake in Ontario seniors

This study determined the independent association of 24 risk factors with dietary intake in community-living seniors. The study sample was 5,073 seniors for whom complete data were available from the 1990 Ontario Health Survey. Risk factors were items completed on an interviewer-administered health questionnaire. Diet Score, Mean Adequacy Ratio and energy were the diet outcomes derived from a self-administered food frequency questionnaire. The independent association of risk factors with these diet outcomes was assessed with multiple linear regression analyses. Factors that were consistently and positively associated with diet outcomes included: education, income, social support, perceived health status, belief in the nutrition/health link, dependence in walking and vision. Factors that were consistently and negatively associated with diet outcomes included: chewing status, dentition, hearing, level of happiness and body mass index. These results provide a basis for the development of a screening tool for the identification of "at risk" subgroups of seniors.