The elderly and their nutritional habits

Abstract

These past years have witnessed a growing awareness for the importance of a balanced diet. Together with this the Maltese society is also witnessing the special care being given to the elderly. The lack of data in these two fields gave rise to this study which seeks to discover and analyse the dietary habits, attitudes and knowledge of the elderly. A number of old wives' tales exist, on the other hand the initiative to publicize good dietary practice seems to be reaping fruits. Without a survey one cannot establish how many old habits still exist, whether bad dietary practices persist, whether the elderly are understanding them or whether they require further explanation. A good dietary policy must be based on a survey. The sample size taken in this survey was of one hundred and forty-eight. Most of the questions aimed to discover what type of nutritional-related diseases the subjects suffered from, the food included in their diet, the methods of cooking used and from where they acquired their nutritional knowledge. A number of interesting points emerged: the elderly vaguely know more about certain aspects of nutrition than one would assume; however, they have insufficient knowledge to be able to improve their diet substantially. As a result the diet they consume is often not the best one for their health or nutritional disease. These points seem to indicate that much more effort is needed in educating the public. Nutritional education can reach the public in a number of ways. The media, schools, law enforcement and hospitals can contribute immensely towards this field.