Situation assessment of the elderly in Cyprus, famagusta in terms of lifestyle, eating habits and nutritional status

This study has been carried out to determine the lifestyle, eating habits and nutritional status of elderly people 65 and over. It has been conducted with 105 male and 105 female (total 210) elderly volunteers, registered in the Famagusta Municipality and living in Famagusta, Cyprus between November 2015 and February 2016. Participants' demographic characteristics, basic eating habits, anthropometric measurements, strength of hand grip, food consumption over the last 24 hours, quality of life, physical activity levels and nutritional status have been evaluated. The average age of male participants was 72.26±5.35 years and 73.66±5.35 years for female participants. Male participants averaged a BMI of 29.81±4.68 kg/m2 and female participants averaged a BMI of 32.39±5.85 kg/m2. According to the BMI values, it has been determined that 45.7% of male subjects are overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m2) and 41% of them are obese (≥30.0 kg/m2). For female participants, 34.3% are overweight (25.0-29.9 kg/m2) and 60% of them are obese (≥30.0 kg/m2), (p<0.05). Average energy intake for males has been stated as 1960.41±512.90 kcal and for females 1523.61±352.10 kcal (p˂0.05). It has been specified that in both males and females the average percentage of energy from total fat is above the levels suggested in the dietary guidelines. When compared with the Dietary Guidelines for Turkey, participants' daily dietary intake of vitamins and minerals; level of calcium and iodine was less than the suggested amounts. According to the results of Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), there was no nutritional problem for 83.3% of participants, while 16.7% of them were determined to be at risk of malnutrition. A significant difference was found between men and women (p˂0.05). There was no statistically significant correlation between the results of MNA with body weight, BMI, waist circumference, hip circumference, waist/hip ratio, waist/height ratio, calf circumference, mid-upper arm circumference, neck circumference and the percentage of body fat for male or female participants (p˃0.05). A statistically significant positive correlation was found between the right hand and left hand grip strength and the results of MNA for women (p˂0.05). The WHO-8 EUROHIS Quality of Life Questionnaire indicated the averages for key variables; quality of life for elderly people 3.77±0.64, being discontent with health status 3.82±0.70, having the required energy 3.42±0.70, being happy with the continuation of daily life activities 4.00±0.56, self-satisfaction 4.13±0.43, being pleased with relations with others 4.19±0.53, having enough money to meet basic needs 3.40±0.54 and being satisfied with living conditions 3.78±0.83. Apart from gender with being pleased with relations with others and being satisfied with living conditions variables, there was a statistically significant difference among the other six variables (p˂0.05). Elderly people should be provided with nutritional education to acquire healthy eating habits and make changes to their lifestyle. Elderly people's quality of life should be increased by improving their nutritional status. In order to protect or prevent them from developing diseases caused by nutrition, they should be monitored regularly. Keywords: Elderly, eating habits, nutritional status, quality of life