Abstract
Living a healthy life in a supporting environment are key elements towards higher diet quality in older age. The Mediterranean Diet in Older Adults (MINOA) study collected cross-sectional data from adults ≥65 years old (n = 436) from April 2014 to November 2015 in rural Crete, aiming to understand the interrelations between Mediterranean Diet adherence, Social Capital and Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL). Multivariate linear regression, carried out using SPSS 20.0, revealed that both Social Capital and HRQL has a positive impact on Mediterranean Diet adherence after adjustment for confounders and independently of each other. Total Social Capital as well as its Value of Life/Social Agency component (β = 0.04 and β = 0.1, p < 0.05, respectively) had a positive relationship with Mediterranean Diet adherence. As far as HRQL is concerned, only the Physical Health components were found to have a positive association with Mediterranean Diet adherence (β = 0.09, p < 0.001). At the same time Total Social Capital was also seen to have a positive relationship with perceived Physical and Mental Health (β = 0.21 and β = 0.28, p < 0.001, respectively). In a population of older adults Social Capital, HRQL and Mediterranean Diet adherence seem to share intricate interrelations that impact both diet quality and quality of life overall.
Highlights
Being diagnosed with three or more chronic diseases was linked to lower likelihood of having high Mediterranean Diet adherence (Table 1)
Mental Health was not on its own related to Mediterranean Diet adherence, it was highly influenced by Social Capital as a whole and the “Participation in the Community”, “Feeling of Safety” and “Value of Life and Social Agency” dimensions
If we focus on life stages during which physical durability is hindered, a better social life in older age was associated with higher MedDiet Scores [33] or other indices of better nutrition [41] and during pregnancy, higher Mediterranean Diet adherence was linked to higher Social Capital [42]
Summary
Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. The global population of adults aged over 65 years old is predicted to reach 1.6 billion individuals by 2050, a 2.6-fold increase compared to 2015 [1]. This shift in demographics challenges the global healthcare system and requires actions to ensure healthy and active ageing [1,2]. Reverting the image of the frail older adult will be at the core of public health with diet being a key modifiable risk factor to be considered [3,4]
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