title: Living situations associated with poor dietary intake among healthy Japanese elderly: the Ohasama Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rapid increases in life expectancy have led to concurrent increases in the number of elderly people living alone or those forced to change living situations. Previous studies have found that poor dietary intake was common in elderly people living alone. However, there have been few studies about the dietary intake in elderly people living in other situations, particularly those living with family other than a spouse (nonspouse family), which is common in Japan.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine the differences in dietary intake by different living situations in elderly Japanese people. We analyzed the data of 1542 healthy residents in the town of Ohasama aged 60 years and over who had completed self-administered questionnaires.
  
  
  METHODS
  The dietary intake was measured using a validated 141-item food frequency questionnaire. Multiple regression models with robust (White-corrected) standard errors were individually fitted for nutrients and foods by living situation.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In men, although the presence of other family was correlated with significantly lower intake of protein-related foods, e.g., legumes, fish and shellfish, and dairy products, these declines were more serious in men living with nonspouse family. Conversely, in men living alone the intake of fruits and vegetables was significantly lower. In women, lower intakes of fruit and protein-related foods were significantly more common in participants living with nonspouse family than those living with only a spouse.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings revealed that elderly people living alone as well as those living with family other than a spouse had poor dietary intake, suggesting that strategies to improve food choices and skills for food preparation could promote of healthy eating in elderly Japanese people.
authors: Megumi Tsubota-Utsugi. Center for International Collaboration and Partnership/Department of Nutritional Epidemiology, National Institute of Health and Nutrition, Toyama 1-23-1, Shinjyuku-ku, Tokyo 162-8636, Japan, Tel: +81-3-3203-5721, Fax: +81-3-3202-3278, E-mail: mutsugky@nih.go.jp.
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Tsubota-Utsugi
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Kikuya
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Satoh
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Inoue
authors: M
authors: M
authors: Hosaka
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Metoki
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Hirose
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Asayama
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Imai
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Ohkubo
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D044466:Asian People; D003611:Dairy Products; D004032:Diet / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005191:Family Characteristics; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005638:Fruit; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006262:Health; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009752:Nutritional Status; D017747:Seafood; D057566:Self Report; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014675:Vegetables