NUTRITIONAL KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICE AMONG ELDERLY IN BAGHDAD CITY
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.37268/mjphm/vol.25/no.1/art.3170Abstract
Good nutrition is essential for the overall well-being of the elderly, yet poor knowledge, attitudes, and practices can lead to malnutrition and an increased risk of chronic diseases. With Iraq’s elderly population expected to more than triple by 2050, understanding their nutritional needs is important for promoting healthy ageing. However, data available in this region remains limited. This study assessed the nutritional knowledge, attitudes, and practices of older adults in Baghdad City, Iraq. A cross-sectional study was conducted among older adults aged 60 and above, using a non-probability convenience sampling method to select participants. A validated self-administered questionnaire was distributed, and participants were required to report their sociodemographic information, nutritional knowledge, attitudes, and practices. A cut-off of >50% was used to determine good knowledge, attitudes, and practices. The findings showed that most respondents reported having adequate nutritional knowledge (73%) and a good attitude (96%). However, only two-thirds (66%) had good practices. Gender and education level were significantly associated with nutritional knowledge. In conclusion, although older adults in Baghdad City have good nutritional knowledge and attitudes, many still struggle with poor practices. More education and awareness campaigns are needed to promote geriatric nutrition.
References
World Population Ageing 2019: Highlights - UN Digital Library https://digitallibrary.un.org/record/3846855/files/WorldPopulationAgeing2019-Highlights.pdf accessed 20 November 2024).
Nutrition for older persons. World Health Organization [web- site] (https://www.who.int/health-topics/ageing#tab=tab_1 . html, accessed 18 November 2024).
McKevith B. Diet and healthy aging. Journal of the British Meno- pause Society, 2005, 11(4):121–125.
Lengyel CO, Tate RB, Bayomi DJ. Food group consumption and self-rated diets of elderly community-dwelling Canadian men. The Manitoba follow-up study. Journal of Nutrition, Health and Aging, 2007, 11(1):8–13.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/327299/age-structure-in-iraq/ Accessed online 13 December 2024
Almatseir. S (2011). Prinsip Dasar Ilmu Gizi. Jakarta: PT. Gramedia Pustaka Utama
S.Kalaiselvi. Y Arjumand. R Jayalakshmy. R Gomathi. T Pruthu and C.Palanivel (2018). Prevalence of under-nutrition. associated factors and perceived nutritional status among elderly in a rural area of Puducherry. South India. Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Volume 65. July–August 2016. Pages 156-160.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0167494316300437#!
Hammouh, F., Abdullah, M., Al-Bakheit, A.A., Al-Awwad, N.J., Dabbour, I. and Al-Jawaldeh, A., 2023. Nutrition knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAPs) among Jordanian elderly—a cross-sectional study. Nutrients, 15(9), p.2220.
Ghalib, H., & Mahmood, N. (2024). Understanding Healthy Eating Habits of Elderly People in a Geriatric Center in Kirkuk City: A Cross-Sectional Study. Cureus, 16(4), e58801. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.58801.
Liao Y, Yang J. Status of nutrition labeling knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of residents in the community and structural equation modeling analysis. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2023 Apr 17;10.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1097562/full
Turner A, LaMonica HM, Moroney C, O’Leary F, Naismith SL, Flood VM. Knowledge, Attitudes, and Behaviours Concerning the Mediterranean Diet Among Older Adults in Australia. Journal of Community Health. 2023 Jun 8;
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10900-023-01237-1
Burman M, Hörnsten C, Öhlin J, Olofsson B, Nordström P, Gustafson Y. Prevalence of Obesity and Malnutrition in Four Cohorts of Very Old Adults, 2000–2017. 2022 Jul 6;26(7):706–13.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1279770723008370?via%3Dihub
Ewunie TM, Hareru HE, Dejene TM, Abate SM. Malnutrition among the aged population in Africa: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of studies over the past 20 years. Mekonnen TC, editor. PLOS ONE. 2022 Dec 9;17(12): e0278904.
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0278904
Sulmont-Rossé C, Van Wymelbeke-Delannoy V, Maître I. Prevalence of Undernutrition and Risk of Undernutrition in Overweight and Obese Older People. Frontiers in Nutrition. 2022 May 5;9.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2022.892675/full
Obeng P, Kyereh HK, Sarfo JO, Ansah EW, Attafuah PYA. Nutritional status and associated factors of older persons in sub-Saharan Africa: a scoping review. BMC Geriatrics. 2022 May 11;22(1).
https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12877-022-03062-y
Chauhan S, Kumar S, Patel R, Simon DJ, Kumari A. Burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases-related inequalities among older adults in India: a study based on LASI survey. BMC Geriatrics. 2022 Oct 10;22(1).
https://bmcgeriatr.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12877-022-03481-x
Choi YJ, Crimmins EM, Ailshire JA. Food insecurity, food environments, and disparities in diet quality and obesity in a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling older Americans. Prev Med Rep. 2022; 29:101912.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmedr.2022.101912
Ahmed HO. The impact of social distancing and self-isolation in the last corona COVID-19 outbreak on the body weight in Sulaimani governorate- Kurdistan/Iraq, a prospective case series study. Ann Med Surg (Lond). 2020; 59:110-117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amsu.2020.09.024
Chen HWJ, Marzo RR, Anton H, et al. Dietary Habits, Shopping Behavior and Weight Gain during Covid-19 Pandemic Lockdown among Students in a Private University in Selangor, Malaysia. J Public Health Res. 2022;10(2 Suppl): jphr.2021.2921. https://doi.org/10.4081/jphr.2021.2921
Marzo RR, Jun Chen HW, Ahmad A, Thew HZ, Choy JS, Ng CH, Chew CL, Heidler P, King I, Shrestha R, Rahman F. The evolving role of social media in enhancing quality of life: a global perspective across 10 countries. Archives of Public Health. 2024;82(1):28. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13690-023-01222-z
Chen HWJ, Marzo RR, Sapa NH, et al. Trends in Health Communication: Social Media Needs and Quality of Life among Older Adults in Malaysia. Healthcare (Basel). 2023;11(10):1455. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11101455
Bernardo J, Apóstolo J, Loureiro R, et al. eHealth Platforms to Promote Autonomous Life and Active Aging: A Scoping Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(23):15940. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192315940
