Chen Chiu-Ying, Yen Hung-Kuan, Wu I-Hui, Lu Yi-Chien, Sie Ning-Huei, Fu Shau-Huai, Wang Chen-Yu
Department of Public Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan 70101, Taiwan.
Department of Administration, Tainan Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Tainan 70043, Taiwan.
Nutrients. 2025 Apr 10;17(8):1318. doi: 10.3390/nu17081318.
There was little knowledge of the dietary diversity of older adults in rural areas, with limited studies examining their nutritional status and related factors. This study aimed to assess the nutritional status of older adults in rural communities in Taiwan and explore the association between characteristics and the dietary diversity score (DDS). We collected data on sociodemographic, nutritional status, and DDS. The DDS was estimated based on nutritional intake using a 24 h dietary recall (24HR). Participants were grouped by distance from the city center into three categories (0-4 km, 4-8 km, and >8 km) to assess their correlation with food diversity. A total of 567 participants were included, of whom 81.3% were women, and 65.5% were over 75 years of age. Of the participants, 154 lived within 4 km of the city center, 255 lived 4-8 km away, and 158 resided in remote communities (>8 km from the city center). Out of 538 participants who completed the dietary questionnaire, 274 (50.9%) were categorized as having low dietary diversity (DDS ≤ 4), while 264 (49.1%) were categorized as having high dietary diversity (DDS > 4). Our results showed the distance from the community to the city center significantly influences the DDS of the residents in rural communities. Nearly half of the rural population has a low DDS. The implementation of the research project aimed to determine the feasibility of daily nutrition evaluation and optimization programs for the elderly in rural areas is crucial in the future.
对于农村地区老年人的饮食多样性了解甚少，研究其营养状况及相关因素的研究有限。本研究旨在评估台湾农村社区老年人的营养状况，并探讨其特征与饮食多样性得分（DDS）之间的关联。我们收集了社会人口统计学、营养状况和DDS的数据。DDS是根据使用24小时饮食回顾法（24HR）的营养摄入量估算得出的。参与者按距市中心的距离分为三类（0 - 4公里、4 - 8公里和>8公里），以评估其与食物多样性的相关性。总共纳入了567名参与者，其中81.3%为女性，65.5%年龄超过75岁。参与者中，154人居住在距市中心4公里以内，255人居住在4 - 8公里外，158人居住在偏远社区（距市中心>8公里）。在完成饮食问卷的538名参与者中，274人（50.9%）被归类为饮食多样性低（DDS≤4），而264人（49.1%）被归类为饮食多样性高（DDS>4）。我们的结果表明，社区距市中心的距离显著影响农村社区居民的DDS。近一半的农村人口饮食多样性低。实施旨在确定农村地区老年人日常营养评估和优化项目可行性的研究项目在未来至关重要。
