Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Nutritional Risk Needs Assessment of Community-Living Seniors: Prevalence of Nutrition Problems and Priorities for Action

  • Published:
Journal of Community Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

A random mailed survey was sent to 425 members of a seniors recreation center in Guelph, Ontario for the purpose of identifying the prevalence of nutritional risk, specific nutrition problems, and educational format preferences of these seniors. This needs assessment was used to plan an education initiative called “Action Nutrition.” SCREEN, a 15-item nutritional risk screening instrument, demographic data, participation in current recreation programs, and frequency of visits to the center were included in this survey. The response rate was 62%, average age was 72 years and 59% were female. Respondents attended on average one activity per month, 60% visited the center at least once per month and 79% read the monthly newsletter. 56.7% of respondents were considered to be at nutritional risk using SCREEN and common problems were: significant weight change in 6 months; low intake of fruits and vegetables and milk products; and restriction of the diet due to health reasons. This survey determined that nutrition problems and risk are prevalent among community-living seniors, justifying the development and implementation of educational initiatives in this setting.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  1. Federal, Provincial, and Territorial Advisory Committee on Population Health. Report on the Health of Canadians.Ottawa, ON: Health Canada Communications and Consultation Directorate, 1996.

    Google Scholar 

  2. Burke MA. Implications of an aging society. Can Soc Trends 1991; Spring:6–8.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Codispoti CL, Bartlett BJ. Food and Nutrition for Life: Malnutrition and Older Americans.Washington DC: Us Department of Health and Human Services, Administration on Aging, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Chandra R, Imbach A, Moore C, Skelton D, Woolcott DM. Nutrition of the elderly. CMAJ 1991; 145:1475–1487.

    Google Scholar 

  5. Gariballa SE, Sinclair AJ. Nutrition, ageing and ill health. Br J Nutr 1998:80:7–23.

    Google Scholar 

  6. McCormack P. Undernutrition in the elderly population living at home in the community: a review of the literature. J Adv Nurs 1997;26:856–863.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Chima CS, Barco K, Dewitt MLA, Maeda M, Teran JC, Mullen KD. Relationship of nutritional status to length of stay, hospital costs, and discharge status of patients hospitalized in the medicine service. J Am Diet Assoc 1997;97:975–978.

    Google Scholar 

  8. MacLellan DL, Van Til LD. Screening for nutritional risk among community-dwelling elderly on Prince Edward Island. Can J Pub Health 1998;89:342–346.

    Google Scholar 

  9. de Groot LC, Beck AM, Schroll M, van Staveren WA. Evaluating the DETERMINE your nutritional health checklist and the Mini Nutritional Assessment as tools to identify nutritional problems in elderly Europeans. Eur J Clin Nutr 1998;52:877–883.

    Google Scholar 

  10. Reuben DB, Greendale GA, Harrison GG. Nutrition screening in older persons. J Amer Ger Soc 1995;43:415–425.

    Google Scholar 

  11. Mac Lellan D. Detecting nutritional risk among Canadian seniors. Can Home Econ J 1998;48: 14–17.

    Google Scholar 

  12. Keller HH, Hedley M, Wong Brownlee S. The development of Seniors in the Community: Risk Evaluation for Eating and Nutrition (SCREEN). Can J Diet Prac Res 2000;61:67–72.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Keller HH, McKenzie JM, Goy R. Construct validation and test-retest reliability of Seniors in the Community: Risk Evaluation for Eating and Nutrition Questionnaire. J Geront: Med Sci 2001; 56A(9):M552–M558.

    Google Scholar 

  14. www.hc-sc.gc.ca/seniors-aines/seniors/english/new/htm. Statistical Snapshot of Canadian Seniors. No. 5 More Women than Men.

  15. Yeung DL, Imbach A. Geriatric nutrition in Canada-a review. J Nutr Elder 1988;7:27–45.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Roebothan BV, Friel JK, Healey L. Diet and drug consumption in a group of elderly residing in rural Newfoundland. Can J Pub Health 1994;85:313–316.

    Google Scholar 

  17. Barber C. Identifying seniors at nutritional risk: Independent seniors. RAPPORT 1996;11:6–7.

    Google Scholar 

  18. National Institute of Nutrition. Enhancing seniors’ nutrition: From awareness to action. Ottawa, On: National Institute of Nutrition, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  19. Dietitians of Canada, Capital Health Authority, Alberta Council on Aging, Society for the Retired and Semi-Reitred, Edmonton Meals on Wheels. Seniors Community Action for Nutrition Final Report (Project # 6785-09-1998/2450033, Health Canada), 1999.

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Family Relations and Applied Nutrition, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada, N1G 2W1

    Heather H. Keller & Margaret R. Hedley

Authors
  1. Heather H. Keller
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Margaret R. Hedley
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Heather H. Keller.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Keller, H.H., Hedley, M.R. Nutritional Risk Needs Assessment of Community-Living Seniors: Prevalence of Nutrition Problems and Priorities for Action. Journal of Community Health 27, 121–132 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014561217190

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1014561217190

Search

Navigation