Food Habits and Nutritional Status of the Long-Lived Elderly People in Ganghwa-gun Area

This survey was carried out to obtain the information concerning nutritional status, including factors of food habits and nutrient intake of the long-lived elderly men and women living in Ganghwa-gun. In order to assess the quality of dietary intake among the elderly, a survey was conducted during December 2003 of 103 subjects who were over 85 years of age. Dietary nutrient intake data were obtained through the 24 hr recall method. Chi-square test and t-test were the main data analysis method. Their dietary habits such as three meals a day and a regular meal time have shown that they have generally good eating habits. Average daily calorie intake ($\%$ RDA) was 1233.2 kcal ($68.8\%$) for male and 1215.8 kcal ($75.8\%$) for female which were lower than the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for Koreans. Energy intake of females got closer to RDA than that of male. Protein intake was 49.3 g for male and 46.9 g for female (which was $82.3\%$ RDA for male and $85.1\%$ RDA for female) for elderly person, the proportion of animal protein to total protein intake were $45.2\%$ for male and $39.0\%$ for female. Average CPF ratio of energy intake for both male and female were 68.7 : 16.1 : 15.2 and 69.6 : 15.4 : 15.0. SFA : MUFA : PUFA ratio of the subject was 0.78 : 1.03 : 1.00 for male and 0.64 : 0.92 : 1.00 for female. Calcium intakes for both males and females were 321.3 mg and 377.2 mg. Vitamin A was the nutrient found to be least sufficient. Mean daily intakes of most of the vitamins and minerals for both males and females were lower than RDA except vitamin C and Zn for female, especially $\%$ RDAs of vitamin A, Ca for male and vitamin A for females were less than $50\%$ of RDA. In conclusion, long-lived elderly in Ganghwa areas did not consume enough nutrients quantitatively as well as qualitatively, especially Ca, Fe, vitamin A, vitamin $B_2$ and vitamin E. These results suggest that nutritional guidelines for older Koreans should focus on the maintenance of adequate energy intake. In addition, selection of foods with high protein and calcium, such as dairy food, should be emphasized, particularly in the long-lived elderly.

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