Dietary practices and nutritional status of older persons: a cross-sectional study of Northern Uganda

Abstract

Background: Malnutrition remains a problem in older populations globally. Most older persons do not meet the required dietary intake with the majority consuming mainly carbohydrate-based foods and vegetables. The current study therefore aimed at assessing the dietary practices, nutritional status and associated factors among older persons in Gulu district. Methods: This was a cross-sectional study among older persons aged 60 years and above in Gulu District. The study used a multi-stage sampling procedure. Nutritional status was measured using the Mini Nutrition Assessment – Short Form (MNA-SF). Analysis was done in STATA 16 using modified Poisson regression considering a 5% level of significance. Results: The study enrolled 141 participants with a median age (IQR) of 71(64,79) years. Majority of the respondents, 96(68.1%) were female and 72(51.1%) reported to be widows or widowers. The prevalence of malnutrition was 53.9%. Millet was eaten by 62(45.9%) participants 1-4 times a week while maize and its products were eaten by 56(40.6%) 1-2 times monthly. We found that increasing age (aPR=1.02, p-value=0.021), having primary education (aPR=1.51, p-value=0.046), and staying <5km away from the health facility (aPR=1.60, p-value=0.003) were significantly associated with having malnutrition. Conclusion: Majority of the participants were malnourished. Age, education, and distance from healthcare facility were the factors that influenced nutritional status.