The Assessment of Health and Nutritional Status in Elderly

Abstract

Aim: Aging is an important stage of life that affects health and nutritional status. This study was planned and conducted to assess health and nutritional status of elderly. Subjects and methods: This research was conducted on 99 elderly (35 men and 64 women) applied to Elderly Service Center located in Ankara, and at home, age 65 years and over. To determine the general health and nutritional status of elderly a questionnaire was applied, also daily food consumption and food frequency were determined, body weight and height were measured. Results: The mean age of the participants was 72.1±6.9 years. The mean body mass index (BMI) of the elderly was 26.3±4.5 for men, 24.9±3.1 kg/m2 for women. Out of total, 68.7% of them had at least one diagnosed disease. The most frequently diagnosed disease was hypertension. In elderly, with the progress of the age, decreased taste, smell perception and appetite, difficulty in eating and swallowing, dry mouth, tooth loss and constipation were increased. Out of total, 64.7% of the elderly skipped one meal. Daily consumption of vegetables, fruit, meat and water were lower than the recommended amounts for elderly. Conclusion: For the prevention of increasing health and nutritional problems in the elderly, multidisciplinary approaches are recommended.