Nutritional status and prevalence of chronic diseases among elderly in the countryside of Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the factors affecting the nutritional status of socially active elderly in a municipality in the countryside of Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. METHODS: A cross-sectional study where 284 subjects participated voluntarily. A structured individual questionnaire containing questions relating to eating habits was administered and anthropometric data (weight, height, waist circumference) were collected. RESULTS: 60.3% of men and 62.5% of women were overweight. Based on the assessment of waist circumference (WC) there was increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) in 98.5% of men and 92.5% women. Most women (56.9%) reported some solid drug use, whereas among men (52.5%), most reported no medicine consumption. No significant difference between the different nutritional status and dietary habits investigated was observed. Among married, overweight was found in 47.1% of men and 35.6% of women. CONCLUSION: The majority of the elderly population was overweight and waist circumference was large among men and women. No association between nutritional status and the number of meals, water intake, daily intake of fruits and vegetables, type of milk consumed, weekly consumption of meat, candies, fried foods and legumes was observed.

研究目的：探究巴西南里奥格兰德州乡村某市镇内社交活跃老年人群营养状况的影响因素。研究方法：本研究为横断面研究，共纳入284名自愿参与的受试者。采用结构化个人问卷收集其饮食习惯相关信息，并采集人体测量学数据（体重、身高、腰围（waist circumference, WC））。研究结果：男性与女性的超重率分别为60.3%与62.5%。基于腰围评估结果，98.5%的男性及92.5%的女性存在心血管疾病（cardiovascular disease, CVD）发病风险升高情况。多数女性（56.9%）报告存在固体药物服用行为，而男性群体中多数（52.5%）表示未服用任何药物。本次研究未观察到不同营养状况与所调研的饮食习惯间存在显著差异。在已婚人群中，男性超重率为47.1%，女性为35.6%。研究结论：本次研究覆盖的老年人群多数存在超重情况，且男女受试者的腰围均处于较高水平。未发现营养状况与用餐次数、每日饮水量、每日果蔬摄入量、饮用奶类种类、每周肉类、糖果、油炸食品及豆类摄入频次间存在关联。