Food Practices, Service Use, and Dietary Quality in Elderly Blacks

Abstract

Nutrient intake, food practices, service use, and their relationship to dietary quality in black elderly is described. A health and food questionnaire and three 24-hour food recalls were administered. Diets were very low in energy, calcium and vitamin B-6, slightly low in protein, thiamin, riboflavin and iron, and adequate in vitamins A, C and niacin. Men consumed more energy, fat, and cholesterol than women, and less vitamins C , B-6 and thiamin. Food stamps and home health aides (HHAs) were used more than other services. Dietary quality was

Profiling Rural Southern Congregate Nutrition Site Participants

“…A number of factors predispose women to a higher risk of nutritional problems compared with men (Fogler-Levitt et al, 1995;Murphy et al, 1990), which may explain part of this phenomenon. Also, several studies have shown that older Black females have more nutritional inadequacies than Black males although a few studies have shown that Black females have higher quality diets than Black males (Cohen et al, 1998;Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, 1998). Further explanation may be the general tendency for women to be more health-conscious, that is, to report more symptoms and to visit doctors more frequently (Kearney, Kelly and Gibney, 1998;Ross et al, 1998).…”