Geriatric nutrition

Abstract

Nutritional intake, a major factor in health maintenance, can improve the quality and length of life by attenuating changes in body composition, deterioration in tissue function (Klein and Rogers, 1990), and by helping in the prevent!on and control of diseases like diabetes, hypertension and degenerative disease such as atherosclerotic disease and osteoporosis (Sand stead, 1987). Nutrient needs for all people are given by the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) originally established in 1943 (Koop, 1988). RDAs are: "The levels of intake of essential nutrients considered, in the judgement of the Committee on Dietary Allowances of the Food and Nutrition Board on the basis of available scientific knowledge, to be adequate to meet the nutritional needs"(Food and Nutrition Board Committee on Dietary Allowance, 1980). In this study, the nutritional status of the Maltese geriatric population was investigated by assessing the nutritional habits of a randomly selected elderly population (n=l00) living at home and compared with available RDAs. The nutritional knowledge of the elderly was also investigated by means of an educational questionnaire.