Background: The world population is getting older and the percentage of elderly people (over 65 years old) in Israel (November 1999) is approaching 10%. Six percent of Maccabi Healthcare Services members are older adults. Elderly people are at risk for undernutrition due to chronic diseases, decreased physical and cognitive functioning. The present study aimed to assess the dietary intake of elderly people in Tel Aviv, members of Maccabi Healthcare Services, to evaluate their intake in relation to the recommendations, as well as to determine the association between the dietary intake and the use of medical care services.
Methods: A random sample of people over 70 years old, members of Maccabi Healthcare Services, were randomly selected and interviewed for their dietary intake using food frequency questionnaire. Additional questions were asked regarding lifestyle, health status and use of health care services. The interviews were conducted by trained interviewers from the surveys department of Maccabi Healthcare Services.
Results: One hundred and fifty eight people participated in the survey. Among them, 8% were consuming less than 800 calories per day and 33% less than 1200 calories per day. Over 40% of the participants had at least one chronic disease or condition and 19% had dental problems. Most of the participants (70%) visited their family physician at least once in the last 3 months, 71% visited at least one specialist in the last 6 months and 12% visited a dietitian. Over 90% of the interviewees eat 3 meals a day and over 50% participate in physical activity regularly. Significant negative association was shown between caloric intake and family physician office visits, No such association was shown for specialist office visits.
Conclusions: Over 30% of the participants of this study have lower caloric intake. It seems that there is an increased need to improve the awareness of older people to the importance of nutrition for their health and quality of life. Larger and more detailed studies are needed to understand the scope of the problem.