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Overview of the diets of lower- and higher-income elderly and their food assistance options.

With the elderly becoming an ever-larger proportion of the American population, their dietary well-being is of increasing concern. In particular, lower-income elderly may face special challenges in maintaining a healthful diet. This group makes up a sizeable proportion of the elderly population; we estimate that almost 1 in 5 (19%) of the elderly have household incomes at or below 130% of the federal poverty level, the income level that generally qualifies a household to participate in the federal Food Stamp Program. Here we examine the dietary intakes and related behaviors, as well as the food security status, of lower- and higher-income elderly and review major US government food and nutrition assistance programs that can be of benefit to the elderly, particularly those of low income. Our subjects are individuals 60 years of age and over, living in community (noninstitutionalized) settings. Data on dietary intakes and behaviors were obtained from the US Department of Agriculture's Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals (CSFII), 1994-96. Food security data were obtained from the 1999 Current Population Survey (CPS), conducted by the US Census Bureau. For both the CSFII and the CPS, sampling weights were used to generate nationally representative estimates. We found that lower-income elderly consume significantly fewer calories than higher-income elderly, fewer servings of major Food Guide Pyramid food groups, and most nutrients. Approximately 6% of elderly households report some degree of food insecurity. Although food and nutrition assistance programs can benefit elderly individuals, many do not participate. Many lower-income elderly also face physiological and social obstacles to obtaining a healthful diet. How best to meet these varied needs is a challenge for nutrition educators, researchers, and policy makers.

Aged↗

Effect of shiftwork on canteen food purchase.

Shiftwork has the potential for altering food intake patterns in ways that may be unfavorable to health. In two industrial plants in the Australian state of Victoria where food had to be brought from home or purchased on the job, the effect of shiftwork on food sources as well as the energy density of food items was assessed. In the steel plant, employees on the afternoon shift had relatively more principal eating occasions on the job than did day or night shift workers. The canteen did not cater adequately for the meal needs of employees, who used the vending machines to a greater extent when on the afternoon shift than on other shifts. In the aluminum plant, workers who depended on food from home alone ate relatively less energy-dense foods than did workers who included canteen foods in their diets. Use of lower-energy density items was greater on the day shift than on the afternoon shift, and in turn was greater on that shift than for the night shift. After a one-year nutrition education program, the use of lower-energy density items increased on the day and night shifts. Thus, it was found that food usage could be influenced not only by shiftwork, but also by the food facility available on site and by a nutrition education program.

Energy Intake↗

New concepts for nutrition education in an era of welfare reform.

In response to welfare reform and the Food Stamp Nutrition Education Program's (FSNEP) goal of increasing clients' self-sufficiency, a literature review and small exploratory study were conducted to gain insight into a potential approach that would go beyond current nutrition education methods. Interviews with 17 FSNEP participants showed a widespread willingness to share food-related skills that others wanted to learn, some interest in cooperating on food-related projects, and frequent cases of social and geographic isolation. Based on these preliminary findings, we suggest the development and evaluation of nutrition education programs that appreciate and build on existing abilities of participants, provide opportunities for self-directed learning and activities, and build social support, social networks, and trust among participants while linking them to the broader community.

Food Services↗

Quality control in the Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial Nutrition Modality.

One of the principal objectives of the MRFIT was to teach and motivate participants assigned to the SI group to adhere to a fat-controlled dietary regimen over the course of the trial. The magnitude of the trial (with more than 12,000 participants, half of them assigned to the SI protocol, to be followed for at least 6 years in 22 separate centers) presented new challenges for maintenance of quality control over a nutrition intervention program. Collection of data to monitor changes in dietary intake over time in SI and UC groups, as well as information to assess dietary adherence levels in SI participants also presented large-scale challenges in maintenance of quality control. The MRFIT formulated many of its initial nutrition intervention and data collection decisions based on experience of the earlier National Diet Heart Study (NDHS). In order to avoid coding 7-day dietary records by local clinic nutritionists (as in NDHS), the trial opted for collection of 24-hour dietary recalls that were coded centrally at the Nutrition Coding Center. It necessitated extra attention to training and certification of clinic nutritionist-interviewers to be certain that NCC coders had sufficiently precise information about all foods entered on dietary recall forms. Since dietary intake data were collected over a time span of approximately 10 years, procedures for updating the food composition database and coding rules were a necessity. Continuing attention to training and monitoring of performance of clinic nutritionist-interviewers also was important. The MRFIT nutrition intervention program was designed with the need for interclinic comparability of intervention techniques in mind. This required not only development of study-wide nutrition intervention materials, but also necessitated ongoing attention to staff training and monitoring procedures in order to ensure intercenter comparability of efforts. The success of the nutrition intervention modality depended upon the continuing efforts of the nutrition counselors not only to achieve dietary adherence but also to monitor levels of dietary adherence over time. The NDHS experience served as a springboard for designing the MRFIT nutrition intervention and data collection procedures. It is hoped that techniques for maintaining and monitoring quality control over the MRFIT nutrition modality as outlined in this chapter may prove useful to future planners.

Certification↗

Position of the American Dietetic Association: nutrition education for the public.

In keeping with the ADA's mission, which is to be "the advocate of the dietetics professional serving the public through the promotion of optimal nutrition, health and well-being," ADA supports nutrition education delivered by qualified dietetics professionals as essential for the public to achieve and maintain optimal nutritional health. Nutrition education serves as a foundation for achieving notable advances in the nutritional status of the public. To be effective in creating actual behavior change, nutrition education programs must be developed on the basis of the needs, behaviors, motivations, and desires of target audiences. A wide variety of strategies have been identified as effective in helping to increase awareness, enhance motivation, and foster and sustain behavior change. A multiple reinforcing strategy, by which consumers are repeatedly reached with consistent messages, may support individual nutrition education efforts best. It is clear that more research is necessary to identify the needs, behaviors, motivations, and desires of target audiences. Developing and testing cost-effective methods for evaluating the effectiveness of nutrition education programs along with comparative models to investigate the effectiveness of alternative educational interventions are also needed. Practitioner involvement in nutrition education research is vital to gain maximum benefit.

Dietetics↗

Predicting achievement of a low-fat diet: a nutrition intervention for adults with low literacy skills.

BACKGROUND: This paper identifies factors that predict achievement of a low-fat diet among 242 California adults with low literacy skills, following their participation in the Stanford Nutrition Action Program (SNAP), a randomized classroom-based nutrition intervention trial (1993-1994). METHODS: The intervention classes received a newly developed curriculum that focuses on reducing dietary fat intake (SNAP); the control classes received an existing general nutrition (GN) curriculum. Data were collected at baseline and 3 months postintervention. This hypothesis-generating analysis uses a signal detection method to identify mutually exclusive groups that met the goal of a low fat diet, defined as < 30% of calories from total fat, at 3 months postintervention. RESULTS: Three mutually exclusive groups were identified. Twenty-three percent of Group 1, participants with high baseline dietary fat (> 60 g) who received either the GN or the SNAP curriculum, met the postintervention goal of < 30% of calories from total fat. Thirty-four percent of Group 2, participants with moderate baseline dietary fat (< or = 60 g) who received the GN curriculum, were successful. Sixty percent of Group 3, participants with moderate baseline dietary fat who received the SNAP curriculum, were successful. Members of Group 3 also significantly increased their intake of vegetables, grains, and fiber. CONCLUSIONS: Within this population of adults with low literacy skills, a large proportion of those with moderate baseline dietary fat who participated in the SNAP classes met the postintervention criteria for a low-fat diet. A much smaller proportion of those with high baseline dietary fat were successful, suggesting that this group may benefit from different, more intensive, or longer-term interventions.

Adult↗

[Social cost effectiveness of 2 systems of treatment of malnourished children, in Chile].

Two approaches in the care of malnourished children were evaluated in order to ascertain both their medical and economical effectiveness. One was a group of 745 children under an ambulatory nutritional rehabilitation program that included health care, supplementary foods and nutrition education; a second group of 420 children attended Day Care Centers (8 hours a day and five days per week) where they received a balanced diet, psychomotor stimulation according to age, and health care. The evolution of nutritional status was followed up and plotted against the NCHS/WHO weight-for-height tables. The rate of recovery was unsatisfactory; below 50% in mild cases of malnutrition, and even less in the more severe cases. The average length of time for attaining normality was longer for moderate malnutrition and for the ambulatory program. When the calculation included a correction for the probability of recovery for each system, the advantage of the Day Care Centers became even more evident: the mean length of time for recovery was 33.2% less than the ambulatory program. The social cost per child, per day, was substantially lower in the ambulatory program. The integral calculus of social cost per child, per day, and the corrected mean time for recovery provided the social cost-effectiveness of nutritional recovery. This figure was clearly adventageous for the ambulatory program for all ages and degrees of malnutrition, exception made for moderately malnourished children below two years of age. In this case, the Day Care Centers appeared to be the most effective therapeutic alternative. This type of analysis is a contribution to the evaluation of medico-social programs for the recuperation of malnutrition. The advantage lies in the fact that it allows an optimization in the allocation of resources, when the previous step is the choice of best therapeutic alternative based upon the patient's age and nutritional status.

Ambulatory Care↗

Position of the American Dietetic Association: local support for nutrition integrity in schools.

It is the position of The American Dietetic Association that the school and community have a shared responsibility to provide all students with access to high-quality foods and nutrition services as an integral part of the total education program. Educational goals, including the nutrition goals of the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program, should be supported and extended through school district policies that create an overall school environment with learning experiences that enable students to develop lifelong, healthful eating habits. Local school policy, developed through a collaborative process that responds to community needs and priorities, should include the integration of the school nutrition program with education. Nutrition integrity policy provides a framework for the integration and coordination of all aspects of the school nutrition program. Nutrition integrity is defined as "a guaranteed level of performance that ensures that all foods available and consumed by children in schools are consistent with the Recommended Dietary Allowances and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, and contribute to the development of lifelong, healthy eating habits." Achieving nutrition integrity means taking a comprehensive approach to program planning, management, operations, and integration of nutrition into the total education program of the school. The community is a valuable resource for this effort. Collaboration between key school- and community-based constituents, including children and other stakeholders, will result in the most effective and relevant plans for local school nutrition programs. However, competing and profit-making food and beverage sales may create a conflicting environment and can contradict lessons taught in health and nutrition education. This position provides direction for the dietetics profession for addressing this issue along with providing a suggested action plan for local schools and their communities.

Child↗

[The effect of nutritional management on the mortality of malnourished children, uninfected and infected with the human immunodeficiency virus].

Weight loss is a major complication in children infected with HIV. Very few studies have focused on the nutritional management of malnourished HIV-positive children, particularly in developing countries, although there have been some studies in adults. Therefore, the aim of this retrospective study was to evaluate, as a function of HIV status, the effect of a nutritional rehabilitation program on the mortality of malnourished children in an Ivory Coast nursery. We studied 193 malnourished children over the age of 15 months from January 1 1994 to December 31 1996; 41 % of these children (80 of 193) were HIV-positive. The nutritional rehabilitation program was introduced in 1995. It had a beneficial effect in HIV-negative children because the setback rate (the number of deaths and transfers x 1,000/the number of child-months at risk) decreased significantly over the three years of the study (1994: 130; 1995: 113; 1996: 26; p < 0.05). The rate in HIV-positive children did fall slightly, but this decrease was not statistically significant. These results demonstrate the difficulties involved in the nutritional management of malnourished HIV-positive children. However, recent studies have suggested that nutritional rehabilitation (by mouth) combined with total vitamin and mineral supplementation may be more effective. Given the frequency of malnutrition in HIV-positive children, clinical studies aimed at improving the nutritional management of these children should be a priority in developing countries.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗

Evaluation of a nutrient guide as an educational tool.

This study evaluated the usefulness of a nutrient guide as a tool for teaching nutrition and food selection. It was the basis of a nutrition education program, which consisted of a series of mailed messages. Results were reported for 92 mothers and 55 fathers. The findings of this study suggest that the nutrient guide has the potential for being a useful teaching tool. Fathers and mothers who responded to the post-test found it understandable and useful. Most important, after participating in the nutrition education program based on the nutrient guide, respondents reported changes in their diets. An analysis of those who did use the guide indicated that educational level and previous nutrition knowledge were not selective factors.

Adult↗

Market research to recruit graduate students in dietetics.

In this study we conducted market research to develop a recruitment plan for the master's degree program in nutrition and dietetics at Louisiana Tech University. When individualized experience routes to dietetics registration were eliminated by The American Dietetic Association's Standards of Education in 1988, graduate student enrollment could not be predicted. The steps of the Baron graduate recruitment model were followed to develop and implement a recruitment plan for the master's degree program in nutrition and dietetics. The steps included (a) assessment, (b) developing recruitment and enrollment objectives, (c) developing a recruitment plan and recruitment strategies to meet the objectives, (d) implementing a recruitment program, and (e) monitoring and evaluating the recruitment program. The assessment step involved institutional, student, competitive, and job market analyses. Written questionnaires, telephone surveys, and focus group interviews completed the student analysis. Of the 92 respondents surveyed, 42 were interested in taking graduate classes. Career advancement, specialization, and personal growth were cited as reasons to pursue graduate study. The Baron model provided a useful guide for developing and implementing the graduate recruitment plan.

Certification↗

Integrated Child Development Services scheme (ICDS) and its impact on nutritional status of children in India and recent initiatives.

Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme is the largest national programme for the promotion of the mother and child health and their development in the world. The beneficiaries include children below 6 years, pregnant and lactating mothers, and other women in the age group of 15 to 44 years. The package of services provided by the ICDS scheme includes supplementary nutrition, immunization, health check-up, referral services, nutrition and health education, and pre-school education. The distribution of iron and folic acid tablets and megadose of vitamin A is also undertaken, to prevent iron deficiency anaemia and xerophthalmia respectively. The scheme services are rendered essentially through the Anganwadi worker (AWW) at a village centre called "Anganwadi". The ICDS had led to (i) reduction in prevalence of severe grades of malnutrition and (ii) better utilization of services of national nutritional anaemia prophylaxis programme and the national programme for prevention of nutritional blindness due to vitamin A deficiency by ICDS beneficiaries. The ICDS scheme is being modified continuously to strengthen the programme.

Adolescent↗

Concepts about infant health, growth, and weaning: a comparison between nutritional scientists and Madurese mothers.

Nutrition education is a critical component of programs designed to improve nutritional status, yet it often fails because of differences in the concepts underlying the educational message and those motivating mothers' behavior. To illustrate this discrepancy in the context of infant feeding we compare the views of nutritional scientists' and mothers in Madura, Indonesia on (a) health and disease and (b) the relationship of foods to the concepts of state-of-health, infancy and growth. The relationship of these concepts to mothers' practices and nutritional scientists' recommendations are also explored. Views of the nutritional scientist were drawn from the published literature and those for the Madurese mothers' from ethnographic and survey data gathered between February 1983 and June 1984. While mothers and nutritional scientists both seek to give a diet appropriate for a stage of infancy, their definitions of key concepts differed. Nutritional scientists recommend feeding infants high quality clean foods in amounts sufficient for maintenance, activity and growth. Underlying these recommendations are the concepts of disease as a deviation from the norm, food as a source of pathogens as well as nutrients, infancy as a period of physiological growth, and poor growth as an indicator of disease. All infants have the same type of nutrient requirements. Madurese mothers perceive health and its components as a process of balance. Balance is partly attained either by feeding rice soon after birth or by withholding rice until after one year of age. This concept results in two distinct but coexisting types of requirement and weaning patterns for infants. The important development during an infant's first year of life is 'growth' from a vulnerable state in the 'neonatal' period (40 days) to a state of independence and reason (akal) in late infancy (greater than 7 months). To foster 'growth' in rice-fed infants, mothers force-feed increasing amounts of quality foods. Once akal is achieved, mothers no longer feed quality foods or increase amounts of food, and the infant, not the mother, initiates feeding. These comparisons suggest how nutritional scientists can help improve the process of communication in nutrition programs. First they can describe and analyze the mother's as well as their own conceptual framework to arrive at approaches and messages that blend together points of views. Second, by studying the consequence on infants of mother's behavior, nutritional scientists may gain further insight into the biological processes leading to good nutrition and refine messages and interventions accordingly.

Attitude to Health↗