Promoting nutritional well-being in seniors: feasibility study of a nutrition information series.
Better Living Health and Community Services developed a 12-week community-based nutrition information series (NIS) for people aged 55 or older. The purpose of this feasibility study was to describe briefly the process of developing and implementing the 12-week NIS and to identify the practicality and plausibility of the program in terms of its process and content attributes, using Thorncliffe Park community as the test site. A pre- and post-test design was used to identify changes in participants' perception of their nutritional and overall well-being. Twenty-four participants who completed at least four sessions participated in the post-evaluation follow-up. Only participants' perception of their eating habits demonstrated a significant, positive improvement (t24=2.1, P<0.05). The results suggest that the NIS has the potential to promote the health and well-being of community-living seniors. The development and implementation of the NIS provided considerations for program practicality. However, additional work is needed to examine the plausibility of the program in meeting its stated objective to promote awareness of nutrition as an important concept for healthy aging. Community-practising dietitians are instrumental in providing credible nutrition information to facilitate healthy eating in older Canadians.
Ryerson University.
Elizabeth
E
Manafò
Better Living Health and Community Services.
Katrina
K
Jose
Better Living Health and Community Services.
Dena
D
Silverberg
D000368:Aged; D002170:Canada; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D010549:Personal Satisfaction