Background: Residents of nursing homes (NHs) are one of the most vulnerable social groups to SARS-CoV-2 infection. It seems obvious that all preventive methods, including nutrition, should be a priority for these homes.
Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the menus of elderly people residing in nursing homes and to compare them with the recommendations and especially with the scientific literature that proves the protective effect of nutrition on the course of COVID-19 disease.
Material and methods: The material investigated in the research were decade menus selected at several nursing homes between 2017 and 2020. The total number of 4640 daily menus from 58 NHs located in Silesia (Poland) were analyzed in the research. Data analysis included mathematical tools of Kruskal-Wallis and U Mann-Whitney tests for multiple comparisons in scarcely observed samples (p = 0.05).
Results: It has been noted that the energy value provided with food scored 1780.22 kcal, which denoted 102.72% of the daily standard for females and 98.23% for males. The investigated menus differed in terms of energy and nutrition value. The mean content of proteins totaled 47.95 g/day, which covered 93.83% of the daily requirements for this nutrient. When it came to fat content, a level of 109.12 g/day was observed; this covered 160.47% of the daily requirement for females and 143.58% for males. Absorbable carbohydrates constituted 116.60% of the daily standard, i.e., 151.59 g/day. It was stated that values for vitamin D reached 7.01 (±0.63) µg per day, which can be interpreted as 41.00% of the recommended intake for females and 42.00% for males. It was also noted that the values for vitamins A and E were respectively two and fifteen times lower than the recommendations.
Conclusions: The evaluated menus must not be an aid in the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. The content of energy from food, fats, and carbohydrates substantially exceeded recommended standards, whereas the content of proteins, vitamins A, E, D, zinc and calcium did not meet requirements regarding nutrition standards for the analyzed group.
Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; elderly people; nursing homes; nutrition.