Positive influence of age and education on food consumption and nutrient intakes of older women living alone.

OBJECTIVE

To examine the effect of age, education, and residence on food consumption and nutrient intakes of older women living alone.

DESIGN

In-home interviews were conducted using the Health Habits and History Questionnaire developed by the National Cancer Institute.

SUBJECTS: One hundred fifty-two free-living, healthy women who were between the ages of 65 and 94 years.

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Analysis of variance was used to assess the effect of three independent variables on food consumption and nutrient intakes.

RESULTS

The oldest participants did not report a significantly lower consumption of foods compared with younger participants. A significant (P > .05) interaction effect between age and education occurred for the mean weekly servings of vegetables. Weekly consumption of different fruits, vegetables, and meats was significantly (P > .05) higher for more highly educated respondents. Compared with rural residents, urban residents had higher consumption frequencies for all food categories, but only sweets showed a significant (P > .05) difference. Mean nutrient intakes were higher for the oldest age group compared with the younger age groups for all nutrients except sodium and dietary fiber. After controlling for education, only vitamin A and retinol showed a significant (P > .05) difference among the three age groups. More highly educated respondents had higher intakes of calcium, phosphorus, vitamin A, carotene, sodium, dietary fiber, and potassium than did respondents with less education. Comparisons between urban and rural respondents showed no significant effect of age or education for any of the nutrient intakes.

CONCLUSIONS

Age and education had more influence on reported food consumption and nutrient intakes of older women living alone than did residence. Data from this study indicate that living alone in a rural area does not necessarily mean that an older woman is at risk for poor nutrition. An important target population for nutrition information may be younger retired women without postsecondary education regardless of residence.