Abstract:

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to analyse nutritional risk level and the factors affecting nutrition of the elderly. Methods: The descriptive research was carried out between 01 December 2005 and 1 April 2006. The population of the study was consisted of 167 elderly at and over the age of 60 who lived in Immigrant Settlement area of, Balıkesir province. The sample of the research was consisted of 130 volunteered elderly (65 women, 65 men) who were selected with nonprobability sampling technique. The data were collected through face-to-face interview by a researcher during home visits and height and weight of the elderly were measured. A questionnaire form, was used in order to collect data on socio-demographic characteristics, general health status, eating and health habits, social support status. In addition “Determine Your Nutritional Health” checklist was used as data collection instrument to evaluate. According to this list, the ones whose total score is between 0 and 2, between 3 and 5, and is 6 and above are considered to be good, at medium level of risk and at high level of nutritional risk, respectively. Findings And Results According to the study results, 29.2% of the elderly were in 60 - 64 age group, 36.2% were literate, 66.2% were married and 22.3% were living alone. It was found out that 33.8% were on a diet due to health reasons, 40.0% pastover the meal times of meals, 25.4% cooked meals sometimes. According to “Determine Your Nutritional Health-Checklist”, nutritional level of 19.5% of the elderly was good, 40.7% were at medium level and 39.8% were at high level of nutritional risk. It was found out that nutritional risk was higher in men than women, in the ones at older ages than the ones at younger ages, in widowed ones than the married ones, in ones without children than the ones with children, in ones with a bad level of income than the ones with a good level of income, in the ones with no teeth than the ones with teeth or with dental prothesis and in the ones taking their medicine regularly everday than the ones who take medicine with intervals or the ones who do not take any medicines. It was found out that sex, age, marital status, having children, income, teeth health and medicine taking were the factors affecting the level of the elderly people.

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