Group-based nutrition interventions to promote healthy eating and mobility in community-dwelling older adults: a systematic review

Abstract

Objective: To identify the efficacy of group-based nutrition interventions to increase healthy eating, reduce nutrition risk, improve nutritional status, and improve physical mobility among community-dwelling older adults. Design: Systematic review. Electronic databases MEDLINE, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsycINFO, and Sociological Abstracts were searched on July 15, 2020, for studies published in English since January 2010. Study selection, critical appraisal (using the Joanna Briggs Institute’s tools), and data extraction were performed in duplicate by two independent reviewers. Setting: Nutrition interventions delivered to groups in community-based settings were eligible. Studies delivered in acute or long-term care settings were excluded. Participants: Community-dwelling older adults aged 55+ years. Studies targeting specific disease populations or promoting weight loss were excluded. Results: Thirty-one experimental and quasi-experimental studies with generally unclear-high risk of bias were included. Interventions included nutrition education with behaviour change techniques (BCT) (e.g., goal setting, interactive cooking demonstrations) (n=21), didactic nutrition education (n=4), interactive nutrition education (n=2), food access (n=2), and nutrition education with BCT and food access (n=2). Group-based nutrition education with BCT demonstrated the most promise in improving food and fluid intake, nutritional status, and healthy eating knowledge compared to baseline or control. The impact on mobility outcomes was unclear. Conclusions: Group-based nutrition education with BCT demonstrated the most promise for improving healthy eating among community-dwelling older adults. Our findings should be interpreted with caution related to generally low certainty, unclear-high risk of bias, and high heterogeneity across interventions and outcomes. Higher quality research in group-based nutrition education for older adults is needed.

Incorporation of concussion history as part of the LIfestyle for BRAin Health (LIBRA) modifiable factors risk score and associations with cognition in older former National Football League players

“…The most prevalent LIBRA risk/protective factors in the current study included hypertension, obesity, poor quality diet, and physical inactivity, all of which can be mitigated with lifestyle and pharmacological intervention 39–41 . The absence of cognitive and social activity often occurred simultaneously with other risk factors (Figure 1).…”

“…The most prevalent LIBRA risk/protective factors in the current study included hypertension, obesity, poor quality diet, and physical inactivity, all of which can be mitigated with lifestyle and pharmacological intervention. [39][40][41] The absence of cognitive and social activity often occurred simultaneously with other risk factors (Figure 1). A high degree of heterogeneity in risk factor intersections was also observed, supporting the notion that modified LIBRA profiles are needed as part of a patient-centered care approach to identify the unique combinations of risk factors for each specific individual.…”

Facilitators and barriers to the implementation of dietary nutrition interventions for community-dwelling older adults with physical frailty and sarcopenia: A qualitative meta-synthesis

“…Interventions that use theory as a guiding framework are more effective in improving the diet of older adults [ 23 ]. A recent systematic review found that interventions informed by theory were more successful in improving diet than those that did not utilize theory [ 24 ].…”