ASSESSMENT OF NUTRIENT INTAKE AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY PATTERN IN VEGETARIAN GERIATRIC POPULATION, AGED 60-70 YEARS

Several changes have been seen in eating behavior which creates an impact on the palatability, food choice, social features, and psychological factors of the person which lowers the recommended dietary intake/daily requirements. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between the nutrient intake and physical activity and also to assess dietary habits along with medical conditions in geriatric population aged 60-70 years. Methods: This purposive analysis included 100 samples of both male (n=55) and female (n= 45) gender. The dietary habits and nutrient intake of all participants were assessed using a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and 24-hour dietary recall. The cognitive and physical function was evaluated using The Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living Scale (Lawton IADL Scale), chair test and history of medical conditions were accumulated using online and telephonic mode. Results: The evaluation of nutrient intake was found to have a significant correlation with physical exercise of the active participants (n=77) which included dairy products (p=0.05), green leafy vegetables (p=0.024), other vegetables (p=0.022), root vegetables (p=0.018), fruits (p=0.047) and sugar (p=0.003). In addition, the eating habits were observed to have a notable association with medical history of the subjects, that exhibits gastrointestinal problems, cardiovascular risk, diabetes, thyroid and asthma to be considerably linked with the eating pattern. However, the optimum daily requirement of nutrients (energy, protein, calcium and vitamin C) was determined to be inadequate. Conclusion: Recommended dietary requirements can be beneficial in performing physical exercises to diminish the risk of frailty and the risk of comorbidities by comprehending certain daily physical activities. These findings further reward the advantages of adopting an active lifestyle.