Abstract
Socioeconomic status affects food choices. This study examined the relationships between socioeconomic status (SES) and animal and plant protein intake in the Korean elderly population whose protein intake is insufficient. We used cross-sectional data from 3512 Koreans aged 60 years or older, who had participated in the Nutrition Survey of the 2013–14 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES). One day 24-h recall data was used to estimate the daily total, animal, and plant protein intake. Household income and educational attainment were assessed by trained interviewers. After making adjustment, household income was positively associated with animal protein intake with a statistical significance in females (p = 0.030) and with a marginal significance in males (p = 0.069). However, plant protein intake did not show any significant association. In both sexes, educational attainment was positively associated with animal protein intake (p = 0.007 for males, p = 0.001 for females). Association of educational attainment with plant protein intake was negative in males (p = 0.037) and non-significant in females. (p = 0.945). High SES was associated with higher total protein intake and animal protein intake in the Korean elderly. Health policies and nutrition education are needed to improve protein intake of the vulnerable Korean elderly with low SES.
Highlights
The ageing process increases the risk of frailty [1]
The aim of this study is to investigate the association between socioeconomic status (SES) in terms of household income and educational attainment, and protein intake according to the protein source i.e., plant or animal protein, from a nationally representative sample of the Korean elderly population
We presented mean and standard error (SE) of total energy intake, total protein intake, animal protein intake, and plant protein intake according to household income quartile and educational attainment
Summary
The ageing process increases the risk of frailty [1]. Frail elderly are vulnerable, are prone to dependency, and have reduced life expectancy [2]. Protein intake of the elderly has shown beneficial effects on frailty prevention both in cross-sectional [5] and longitudinal studies, [6] mainly through its actions on muscle mass and strength. Protein intake for elderly adults preserves muscle mass, prevents loss of physical functions, and prolongs independent life [7,8]. The RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) of Korean elderly adults is 0.91 g/kg/day, which is the same as that of young and middle-age adults [9]. Many studies recommend higher protein intake of at least 1.0–1.2 g/kg/day for the elderly [10,11,12]. A recent Korean study showed that over half of adults over 60 years of age consumed dietary protein that was less than the RDA [13]
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