Consumption of nutrients among the elderly living in Porto Alegre in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil: a population-based study

Abstract

A cross-sectional, population-based study was conducted on a random sample of 427 elderly individuals living in Porto Alegre, Brazil, to establish the nutrient consumption profile and verify its association with sociodemographic and health variables. Dietary intake was assessed using the 24-hour Food Recall Survey and the Dietetic Research Investigation technique. Seventy percent of the elderly respondents were women: 48.5% were between 60 and 69 years old; 68.8% had less than 8 years of schooling; 39% had a family income of between 2 and 5 minimum wages and 58.4% took no physical exercise. Hypertension was the most prevalent disease among the elderly and 54.9% were underweight. Men consumed more calories, protein, fiber, minerals and vitamins than women. Carbohydrate and calcium intake increases with advancing age, while zinc intake decreases. Physical exercise increased the intake of calories, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus. The higher the schooling the greater the intake of vitamins B6 and B12; the higher the family income, the greater the consumption of vitamin B6 and folic acid. The results show that there are nutritional deficiencies in the daily diet of the Brazilian elderly population, especially among women and individuals over 80 years of age.