Nutritional Status of Elderly in the Old Age Homes: A Study in Pune City

Abstract

Nutrition is one of the key factors associated with the health and overall well being of every individual. Considering the elderly population which has increased on account of demographic transition, it has been observed that there has been a transition in terms of caregiving and living arrangement. One such arrangement which needs attention is the Old Age Homes (OAHs). Although there’s uniformity in institutional setting, heterogeneity in terms of social, economic, physical and psychosocial factors affect the dietary intake among the elderly population. Thus, it is important to question the nutrition status of the elderly in institutional setting. The main objective of this study was to assess the nutrition status among the elderly in OAHs in Pune city and compare their dietary intake with the recommended dietary allowance (RDA). A purposive sampling design framework with inclusion and exclusion criteria was used to identify the respondents for the study. A sample size of 131 elderly was assessed. The tool used for assessment included 24 hour dietary recall and anthropometry and analysed using SPSS. About 46 percent suffered from malnutrition in the form of under and overnutrition, 11.5 percent were underweight, 26.2 percent were overweight and the rest of them belonged to Grade I and Grade II obesity. The study indicated high prevalence of malnutrition among the elderly living in the OAHs. This indicates there is a need to promote healthy eating habits at an institution level.