Dietary intake of older patients in hospital and at home: the validity of patient kept food diaries.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the validity of a patient kept food diary in relation to weighted intakes and to measure dietary intakes of older people both in hospital and after discharge at home.


METHODS
A randomly selected cohort of hospitalised elderly patients was recruited. All patients were instructed how to keep a record of all food and drink consumed and any leftovers. Food diaries were kept for up to seven days in hospital and for seven days in the community. In 18 consecutive patients dietary records were compared with weighed intake.


METHODS
Associate Teaching Hospital, United Kingdom.


RESULTS
A total of 116 patients participated in the study (median age 77 years, range 66-86 yrs; 49 female). We found significant correlations between food diary and weighted macronutrient intakes both in hospital and in the community. Overall the food diary predicted within+/-17% weighted energy intakes in 70% of individuals. Compared with the National Diet and Nutrition Survey for free-living elderly people in the UK (1998), we found more or less similar energy and micronutrient intakes in hospital, but lower intakes at home.


CONCLUSIONS
Patients kept food diaries can be used to identify those at risk of undernutrition and monitor those on nutritional support. It can also be used for nutritional education and for achieving dietary goals.
Gariballa
S E
SE
Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, United Arab Emirates (UAE) University, PO Box 17666 Al-Ain, UAE. s.gariballa@uaeu.ac.ae
Forster
S J
SJ
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004032:Diet; D015930:Diet Records; D004034:Diet Surveys; D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D006113:United Kingdom
D004040:Dietary Carbohydrates; D004041:Dietary Fats