Nutritional status of the elderly. IV. Nutritional knowledge, food preferences and life styles connected with the nutritional process.

On 106 women and 101 men aged 65 and over, elderly pensioners of the city of Perugia (Italy), a survey was carried out to identify their nutritional knowledge, their food preferences and some life styles connected with the nutritional process. The group of elderly people demonstrates a low level of nutritional knowledge. Meat, pasta and soup are the most suitable foods, with no great difference between males and females. Vegetables, fruit, milk and cheese are indicated as important only by low percentages of both sexes, fish, eggs, offal and rice are practically ignored. From the analysis of the sequency with which the various foods are indicated, it appears that a greater importance is attributed to pasta and soup. A higher percentage of women think that meat is a more suitable food for elderly people, and in respect to the men, they have a greater preference for this food. The harmfulness of foods is concentrated in the fatty foods by both sexes, but in particular by the women. Foods which are given up with the greatest sacrifice are mainly cakes, meat and pasta. Women and men show similar percentages of energy expenditure both in time and in frequency in relation to sleep and sedentary activities. For the activities that require a greater energy expenditure, the values are relatively low. This group of elderly people is well integrated into family life. They usually eat their meals with their families. There are frequent occasions when they are at home alone for periods of time that vary from two to four hours of more a day. The percentage of people living alone is small.