Abstract
Background and Objectives: As the number of elderly people is increasing rapidly in the world and Iran, providing their health imposes enormous costs on health budget.There are many factors such as nutrition which influence physiological requirements, healthy and happy life in the elderly and prevent disease.The present study was aimed to assess energy and macronutrient intakes, dental health and anthropometric indexes in elderly people.
Material and Methods: In this descriptive study,79 elderly people (aged over 65 years,31 men and 48 women) in''Khuban"private nursing home were studied. Dietary assessment was assessed using direct observation 3-days weighing food method and analyzed using nutritionist III software, and dental health was assessed by Dentist. Weight, height, waist and hip circumferences were measured and used to estimate Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist to hip ratio.All data were analyzed using SPSS software(Ver. 11.5),Student t-test and one way ANOVA.
Rsults: Mean BMI in men and women were 23.34±0.8 kg/m2 and 21.93±0.65 kg/m2, respectively.The mean daily intake of energy, carbohydrate, fat and protein in men was greater than in women whereas adequate intake of protein(compared with RDA) in women was more than in men(P=0.021).Fifty seven, twenty four and nineteen percent of the elderly had denture, no teeth and few natural teeth, respectively. Dental health showed no association with macronutrient intake and anthropometric indexes.
Conclusion: As nutritional status was not associated with dental health, thus more investigation by considering factors such as diseases and medication is required to conduct proper nutritional interventions to meet nutritional needs in the elderly.