School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210-2205, USA.
Coles College of Business, Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, GA 30144-0405, USA.
Nutrients. 2022 Feb 23;14(5):944. doi: 10.3390/nu14050944.
Home-delivered meal (HDM) recipients are a highly vulnerable group of older adults at risk for malnutrition and subsequent health decline. To help HDM recipients increase their nutritional intake, HDM agencies may provide expanded meal options that allow older adults to have greater autonomy over their meal selection; however, the extent to which recipients are able to select nutritious meals that are responsive to their health complexities is unknown. This study examined the nutritional content of meals selected by HDM recipients enrolled in an expanded menu plan through a large HDM agency. Data were drawn from a retrospective chart review of 130 HDM recipients who had the option of selecting their own HDM meals and frequency of meal delivery. Findings indicate that older adults who selected their own meals chose meals that were significantly lower in protein, potassium, fat, and calories. The lack of these nutrients suggests that older adults enrolled in expanded menu plans should be referred to registered dietitian nutritionists who can provide skilled guidance in meal selection. To address this need, we also describe and provide preliminary data representing a referral program designed to connect HDM recipients to dietetic services with the goal of optimizing older adult nutrition and health-related outcomes.
居家送餐（HDM）接收者是一群高度脆弱的老年人，他们面临营养不良和随后健康状况恶化的风险。为了帮助 HDM 接收者增加营养摄入，HDM 机构可能会提供更多的餐饮选择，让老年人在选择餐饮方面有更大的自主权；然而，接收者能够选择响应其健康复杂性的营养餐饮的程度尚不清楚。本研究通过一家大型 HDM 机构，调查了参加扩展菜单计划的 HDM 接收者所选择的餐饮的营养含量。数据来自对 130 名有选择自己的 HDM 餐和送餐频率的 HDM 接收者的回顾性图表审查。研究结果表明，选择自己点餐的老年人所选择的餐点蛋白质、钾、脂肪和卡路里含量明显较低。这些营养素的缺乏表明，参加扩展菜单计划的老年人应转介给注册营养师，营养师可以在餐饮选择方面提供专业指导。为了满足这一需求，我们还描述并提供了初步数据，代表了一个旨在将 HDM 接收者与饮食服务联系起来的转介计划，目的是优化老年人的营养和健康相关结果。
