A Study on the Food Habits and Dietary Behaviors among the Korean Elderly

한국노인의 식습관 및 식사행동에 관한 조사 연구

As the elderly population has increased in the advanced countries, food intake, relationship of nutrient intake and disease has become major problem in the aged. To investigate the dietary behaviors and the preference of food of the elderly for developing meal planning, the study was conducted through survey questionnaires including 24-hr dietary recall, dietary behaviors, food preference and frequency of food intake to 352 elderly (104 male and 248 female) who were more than 60 years old and living in Seoul. Most of subjects ate three meals regulary and the most preferred taste was sweet and the less preferred taste was sour. Dietary behaviors according to educational level were shown that the skipping meal time and duration time of one meal were significant difference in educational level. Most of the elderly subjects like kimchi and soybean paste soup. The more educated elderly were preferred milk. The reason of dislike of milk was bad flavor and diarrhea. Most of them who graduated from university and high school selected fishes because of good for health primary, otherwise no educated, elementary school and middle school graduated elderly selected vegetables primary. Meats, fishes, seaweeds, mushrooms, fruits, milk and milk products, eggs and vegetables intakes of total elderly subjects were significantly positively related to educational level. With respect to milk and milk products intakes, cheese, yogurt (curd) and milk intake of elderly was significantly negatively related to age. Therefore education for developing desirable dietary behaviors and improving the meal patterns should be in forced to elderly, especially who had poor educational background in order to manage the meal planning and to care for their health in the later life.