Open AccessCharacteristics related to elderly persons' not eating for 1 or more days: implications for meal programs.
Author(s) -
Edward A. Frongillo,
Barbara S. Rauschenbach,
Daphne A. Roe,
D F Williamson
Publication year - 1992
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.82.4.600
Subject(s) - receipt , medicaid , meal , medicine , gerontology , environmental health , ethnic group , malnutrition , appetite , health care , pathology , sociology , world wide web , computer science , anthropology , economics , economic growth
We examined how social, economic, location, health, and food need characteristics are related to elderly persons' not eating for 1 or more days. The following variables were positively related to not eating: ethnicity, location, receipt of Medicaid, living alone, health problems, mobility, age less than 80 years, cancer, nausea, difficulty swallowing, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and receipt of food from a food pantry. These results have implications for allocating meal program funds, screening clients, and monitoring whether clients eat regularly.