Association between Poor Appetite and Nutrient Intake in Community-Dwelling Older Adults: The Otassha Study.

INTRODUCTION

Poor appetite is a prevalent and serious problem among older adults. However, real-world data regarding appetite and nutrient intake among community-dwelling older adults are scarce. The aim of this study was to clarify the association between appetite and nutrient intake status among community-dwelling older adults.

METHODS

This cross-sectional study involved participants (N = 583) from the cohort of the "Otassha study," conducted among community-dwelling older adults. Appetite was assessed using the Japanese version of the Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire. Nutrient intake was calculated using the Brief-Type Self-Administered Diet History Questionnaire. In addition, compliance status was assessed using the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) of various nutrients based on the "Dietary Reference Intakes for Japanese (2020)." The association between compliance status and appetite was analyzed using logistic regression, with the RDA of multiple nutrients as the dependent variable and poor appetite as the independent variable.

RESULTS

In the study population, 32.1% of participants had poor appetite. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that poor appetite was significantly associated with insufficient vitamin C intake relative to the RDA (odds ratio 1.67; 95% confidence interval 1.08-2.57).

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrated an association between poor appetite and vitamin C intake among community-dwelling older adults.