Viktorija Piščalkienė, Rima Januškevičiūtė, Regina Balčiūnienė
Abstract
Nutrition is variable with aging. This depends on varies factors.Some of them depends on age changes of body, health status,some – on social or cultural environment, attitudes and knowledge.All influencing factors could be grouped into four groups:social, psychological, related to aging and biomedical factors.Investigative participants. In the group of investigation was307 people older then 60 years.Investigation methods: scientific literature analysis, statisticanalysis, using SPSS 17 (describtion statistics, average comparisonT test, Anova test). Written questionaire was taken. Nutrition ofelderlies was evaluated using 5 point Likert scale: 1 point meansworst evaluation, 5 points – best nutrition evaluation.This article shows analysis of subjective evaluation of thefactors influencing nutrition (gender, living place, family status,background, financial status, employment or unemployment, physicalactivity, medicine using, emotional status). Emocional statuswas evaluated using Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale (HAD).There was 14 questions in this scale (<8 – there is no depressionand anxiety, 8-10 – low-key symptoms of depression and anxiety,>10 – well-defined symptoms of depression and anxiety).Results. Nutrition was evaluated worst by elderly people, whohad low financial intake, were secluded and depression / anxiety– prone, unemployded, living alone, physical inactive. Amount ofintaked fluid was insufficient in the emotional problems havingelderly people group. Subjective nutrition evaluation is independentof gender, age range / groups, living place, background. Evaluationthe nutrition status of elderly could become one of the preventiveinvestigation, which could be helpful in identification undernutritionrisk or undernutrition status.
Keyword(s): elderly people, nutrition, sociodemographic factors, anxiety, depression
DOI: 10.5200/sm-hs.2014.107
Full Text: PDF