Status of health and nutritional intake of the elderly in long-term care facilities: focus on Gwangju Metropolitan City

Purpose: This study assessed the food intake and nutritional status of the elderly in long-term care facilities in order to provide adequate food services and improve the nutritional status. Methods: The survey was carried out from August 2019 to October 2019 for the elderly in long-term care facilities located in Gwangju Metropolitan City. The survey was conducted to collect data from 199 elderly persons (34 males and 165 females) aged over 65 years old. The food intake was assessed using a 1-day 24-hour recall method. Results: More than 90% of the subjects were over 75 years old. Forty five percent of the subjects were active, 44.2% of the subjects perceived themselves as not being healthy. Dementia and Parkinson's disease were the most common diseases, followed by hypertension, musculo-skeletal disease, diabetes, and stroke. Only 25.6% of the subjects had most of their teeth intact, and 44.7% of the subjects had difficulty in chewing and swallowing. The total food intake was 1,127 g in males and 1,078 g in females. The most frequently consumed foods were kimchi, cooked rice with multi-grains, soybean soup, cooked rice with white rice, yogurt, pumpkin porridge, soy milk, and duck soup. The average energy intake of the subjects was 1,564.9 kcal in males and 1,535.5 kcal in females. The overall nutritional status of the elderly in the long-term care facilities was poor. In particular, the intake of vitamin D and calcium, vitamin C, riboflavin, and potassium were very low. The intake of vitamin D was 5 μg, and 86.4% of the elderly were below the estimated average requirement, while the intake of sodium was high. Conclusion: The results of this study can be used to understand the health and nutritional status and to improve the food services and nutrition management for the elderly in longterm care facilities.