Elderly peoples' meals. A comparative study between elderly living in a nursing home and frail, self-managing elderly.
BACKGROUND
Sweden is one of few countries that have specific recommendations regarding mealtime habits. The importance of mealtime habits for health outcome is inadequately studied in elderly subjects.


OBJECTIVE
The aim of this study was to investigate the distribution of the daily meals/energy intake; the number of eating episodes per day and subjectively estimated meal-dependent variables (appetite, motivation to eat, sense of taste and sense of smell) and compare the results of elderly living in a nursing home with frail, self-managing elderly living at home.


METHODS
Explorative study. All analyses of energy intake were based on food records; weighed in the nursing home and estimated in the frail, self-managing elderly. Participants or contact persons estimated the subjective variables using a 10-point VAS scale.


RESULTS
On average there were 4-5 daily eating episodes in both groups. The eating episodes were much more widespread over the day in the self-managing elderly, and their length of fasting at night was significantly shorter. The subjects estimated appetite and sense of smell was reduced in about 30-40% in both groups. Sense of taste was reduced in 40 % of the males and 10-20 % of the females. Energy intake was similar in both groups, 25 kcal/kg body weight/day, with more than a threefold variation among individual subjects. Energy intake/kg body weight correlated with a shorter length of fasting at night in the nursing home residents, however, did not correlate with ADL, number of eating episodes per day, appetite, motivation to eat, or senses of taste or smell.


CONCLUSIONS
The self-managing elderly had more widespread eating episodes than the elderly in the nursing home, indicating that self-managing elderly exhibit larger variations in food intake preferences, however, without affecting mean energy intake. The lack of correlation between energy intake and estimated appetite, taste and smell is in line with previous findings in elderly.
Nutrition and Pharmacotherapy Unit, Research and Development Unit for the Elderly North West, Seniorstaden Hallen, Karolinska Institute, Lovgatan 43-45, 169 32 Solna, Sweden.
S
S
Engelheart
E
E
Lammes
G
G
Akner
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001066:Appetite; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D016330:Frail Elderly; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012903:Smell / Q000502:physiology; D013649:Taste / Q000502:physiology; D013997:Time Factors