Characteristics related to elderly persons' not eating for 1 or more days: implications for meal programs.
We examined how social, economic, location, health, and food need characteristics are related to elderly persons' not eating for 1 or more days. The following variables were positively related to not eating: ethnicity, location, receipt of Medicaid, living alone, health problems, mobility, age less than 80 years, cancer, nausea, difficulty swallowing, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and receipt of food from a food pantry. These results have implications for allocating meal program funds, screening clients, and monitoring whether clients eat regularly.
Frongillo
E A
EA
Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853.
Rauschenbach
B S
BS
Roe
D A
DA
Williamson
D F
DF
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000855:Anorexia / Q000453:epidemiology; D003680:Deglutition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005006:Ethnicity; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005522:Food Services / Q000592:standards*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000592:standards*; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000592:standards*; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008484:Medicaid / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009519:New York City / Q000453:epidemiology; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012944:Social Support; D014481:United States