Factors affecting Dietary Adequacy of Elderly Recipients of Home-delivered Meals

Abstract

LEARNING OUTCOME: To identify three factors that positively impact the dietary adequacy of elderly homebound persons receiving home-delivered meals.The purpose of this study was to identify those factors associated with dietary adequacy in a multiethnic sample of homebound elderly receiving home-delivered meals. Demographic, environmental, and dietary data were obtained from 111 elderly (24 male, 77 female; mean age = 77 y; 65% Caucasian, 17% Hispanic, 16% Black, 2% Native American). Dietary adequacy (DA) was assessed by determining if the subjects’ typical intakes met or exceeded the recommended number of servings for each of the five food group classifications used in the Nutrition Screening Initiative Level I Screen: Bread/Cereal, Fruit, Vegetable, Milk/Dairy, and Meat/Meat Alternate. Subjects living with at least one other person (n=82) had a significantly (p=.002) better DA score than those living alone, although persons living alone who had visitors at least once/week had significantly (p=.002) better dietary profiles than those with infrequent (<l/wk) visitors. Subjects participating in at least one additional local or federal food assistance program (n=64) had a significantly (p=.001) better dietary adequacy than persons relying only on home-delivered meals. Finally, those recipients of home-delivered meals who reported consuming all of the delivered meals had a significantly (p=.02) better dietary profile than those who did not consume the entire meal. These results suggest that homebound elderly recipients of home-delivered meals are more likely to consume adequate diets, as measured by servings/day from five selected food groups, if they live with or are frequently visited by at least one other person, consume all of the delivered meal, and supplement their home-delivered meals with foods from another local or federal food assistance program.