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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Joseph R. Sharkey, PhD, MPH, RD, School of Rural Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Health and School of Public Health, Department of Nutrition, Texas A&M University and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 810 Old Mill Road, Chapel Hill, NC 27514, (919) 942-2882, aggie1@mindspring.com and Laurence G. Branch, PhD, Dean, College of Public Health, University of South Florida, 13201 Bruce B. Downs Blvd, MDC 056, Tampa, FL 33612.
Abstract Text Objectives: In a randomly recruited sample of 345 homebound men and women (aged 61-98 years, 81% female, 49% Black, and 66% income <$750/month), physical performance (balance, gait, and chair stands), body composition, and dietary intake were measured during a home visit and two telephone-administered dietary recalls. Methods: Contingency tables with c2statistic and multinomial logit and multiple regression models were used for cross-sectional analyses. Dependent variables were: 1) levels of physical performance (low, moderate, and high) derived from a summary scale and 2) a summary measure of quartiles of dietary intake of eight key nutrients. Results: Significantly greater proportion of women, compared to men, reported the lowest level of income, highest BMI, multiple medications, co-morbid conditions, and multiple nutrients in the lowest quartile of intake (p<0.01). Results from multinomial logit analysis indicated that women were 2.9 times more likely than men having low physical performance, after controlling for covariates and other influential variables. From multiple regression model, women were more likely to report dietary intake of key nutrients in the lowest quartiles. Conclusions: These results suggest that homebound older women are more likely than comparable men to demonstrate poor physical performance, low dietary intake, and increased BMI. Prospective research is now needed to examine the interrelationships between physical performance, dietary intake, and body composition among the growing homebound older population.
Learning Objectives:
Keywords: Aging, Nutrition
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.