title: Qualitative evaluation of diets of students at the University of the Third Age at Koszalin University of Technology.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nutrition plays an important role in the elderly stage of life. A proper proportion of the individual nutritional ingredients in a diet may positively impact the ageing body. This positive influence consists in slowing down the undesired and unfavourable physiological alterations leading inevitably to the general weakness of the body.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the paper was to perform a qualitative analysis with the Starzyńska scoring system for diets, the daily food rations (DFR), among students of the University of the Third Age at the Koszalin University of Technology (Poland).
  
  
  METHODS
  The studied materials consisted of the 7-day current records made by 79 students (16 males and 63 females) of the University of the Third Age at the Koszalin University of Technology and the measurements of body weight, height and waistline. The records were qualitatively evaluated with Starzyńska's test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  It was found that approximately half of the students were overweight or obese. The majority consumed the recommended number of meals. About 44% of the students consumed animal protein with all meals. Milk and cheese were ingested daily with at least two meals by approximately 11% of the students. Fruit and vegetables are eaten on a daily basis by about 60% of the students. Almost 40% ate wholegrain bread, groats, and dried legumes. The statistical analysis of the means for the points of individual indicators did not reveal any statistically significant difference between women and men (p>0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Approximately ¾ of the evaluated diets were inaccurately formulated and required radical modification. The low frequency of animal protein, milk and cheese, wholegrain bread, groats and dried legume consumption may result in deficiencies in certain nutrients. Nutritional education is recommended, focusing on the correct way to formulate meals. The recorded level of overweight and obesity in the students indicates a need for a quantitative assessment of consumption considering, among others, the energy input in their diets.
authors.affiliation: Nicolaus Copernicus School Cluster No. 1 in Koszalin, 75-620 Koszalin, Wladyslaw Anders street 30, Poland.
authors.forename: Małgorzata
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kwiatkowska
authors.affiliation: Nicolaus Copernicus School Cluster No. 1 in Koszalin, 75-620 Koszalin, Wladyslaw Anders street 30, Poland.|Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Koszalin University of Technology, Raclawicka street 15-17, 75-620 Koszalin, Poland.
authors.forename: Zbigniew
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Walczak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D004032:Diet / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D004034:Diet Surveys; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009752:Nutritional Status; D011044:Poland; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult