Links between nutrition and psychosocial health in seniors
Researchers have observed that seniors are at risk for poor nutrition because of the social, economic, physiological, and psychological changes of aging.1 Isolation in particular is a common problem among the elderly, and it can have many repercussions for physical and mental health.
In a 2005 convenience sample study, C. S. Jacob Johnson, PhD, PDT, of Acadia University’s School of Nutrition & Dietetics in Wolfville, Nova Scotia, explored the psychosocial aspects of nutritional risk in 54 people over age 65 (range 65 to 98, average 81) . Jacob Johnson used several assessment measures: a background questionnaire, the Mini Nutritional Assessment, the Life Satisfaction Index Form Z, the Geriatric Depression Scale, and Lubben’s Social Network Scale. Seniors at risk for malnutrition had lower levels of social support and life satisfaction, and higher levels of depression (p=0.04). Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that depression and social support were significant correlates of nutritional risk (p=0.01).2
Similarly, a larger long-term study of older men showed that good nutrition was linked with better health and life satisfaction. In this Canadian study by Christina O. Lengyel and colleagues, 1,211 community-dwelling men completed questionnaires. Those who ate vegetables and fruit every day were four times more likely to have better self-rated health and three times more likely to have greater life satisfaction than were men who rarely ate fruit and vegetables.3
These studies make clear the complex and related factors involved in ensuring good emotional, social, and physical health in the elderly. A combination of good nutrition and social support appears crucial to well-being. The challenge remains finding ways to ensure that these needs are met for all seniors.
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References
1. Roberts KC, Wolfson C, Payette H. Predictors of nutritional risk in community-dwelling seniors. Canadian Journal of Public Health 2007;98(4):331-6.
2. Jacob Johnson CS. Psychosocial correlates of nutritional risk in older adults. Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research 2005;66(2):95-7.
3. Lengyel CO, Tate RB, Obirek Blatz AK. The relationships between food group consumption, self-rated health, and life satisfaction of community-dwelling Canadian older men: the Manitoba Follow-up Study. Journal of Nutrition for the Elderly 2009;28(2):158-73.
