BACKGROUND/ OBJECTIVES: In selecting a dietary assessment method, several aspects such as the aim of the study and the characteristics of the target population should be taken into account. In elderly people, diminished functionality and cognitive decline may hamper dietary assessment and require tailored approaches to assess dietary intake. The objective of this paper is to summarize our experience in dietary assessment in a number of different studies in population groups over 65 years of age in the Netherlands, and to discuss this experience in the perspective of other nutrition surveys in the elderly. METHODS: In longitudinal studies, we applied a modified dietary history; in clinical nursing home studies, trained staff observed and recorded food consumption; and in a controlled trial in healthy elderly men, we used a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). RESULTS: For all methods applied in the community-dwelling elderly people, validation studies showed a similar underestimation of intake of 10-15% compared with the reference value. In the care-depending elderly, the underestimation was less: 5% according to an observational method. The methods varied widely in the resources required, including burden to the participants, field staff and finances. CONCLUSIONS: For effective dietary assessment in older adults, the major challenge will be to distinguish between those elderly who are able to respond correctly to the less intensive methods, such as 24-h recalls or FFQ, and those who are not able to respond to these methods and require adapted techniques, for example, observational records.
BACKGROUND/ OBJECTIVES: In selecting a dietary assessment method, several aspects such as the aim of the study and the characteristics of the target population should be taken into account. In elderly people, diminished functionality and cognitive decline may hamper dietary assessment and require tailored approaches to assess dietary intake. The objective of this paper is to summarize our experience in dietary assessment in a number of different studies in population groups over 65 years of age in the Netherlands, and to discuss this experience in the perspective of other nutrition surveys in the elderly. METHODS: In longitudinal studies, we applied a modified dietary history; in clinical nursing home studies, trained staff observed and recorded food consumption; and in a controlled trial in healthy elderly men, we used a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). RESULTS: For all methods applied in the community-dwelling elderly people, validation studies showed a similar underestimation of intake of 10-15% compared with the reference value. In the care-depending elderly, the underestimation was less: 5% according to an observational method. The methods varied widely in the resources required, including burden to the participants, field staff and finances. CONCLUSIONS: For effective dietary assessment in older adults, the major challenge will be to distinguish between those elderly who are able to respond correctly to the less intensive methods, such as 24-h recalls or FFQ, and those who are not able to respond to these methods and require adapted techniques, for example, observational records.
Authors: S R Dias Medici Saldiva; L Bassani; A L da Silva Castro; I B Gonçalves; C R de Oliveira Sales; D M Lobo Marchioni Journal: J Nutr Health Aging Date: 2017 Impact factor: 4.075
Authors: Sovianne ter Borg; Sjors Verlaan; Jaimie Hemsworth; Donja M Mijnarends; Jos M G A Schols; Yvette C Luiking; Lisette C P G M de Groot Journal: Br J Nutr Date: 2015-03-30 Impact factor: 3.718
Authors: Michelle Takemoto; Todd M Manini; Dori E Rosenberg; Amanda Lazar; Zvinka Z Zlatar; Sai Krupa Das; Jacqueline Kerr Journal: Am J Prev Med Date: 2018-10 Impact factor: 5.043