Dietary practices associated with prevalence of malnutrition among the elderly in Kiambu County, Kenya

Abstract

Ageing is often associated with various needs as well as changes, which make elderly people susceptible to malnutrition. A healthy diet helps to protect against malnutrition in all its forms, as well as noncommunicable diseases. Malnutrition is a major risk factor of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases and therefore the importance of good dietary practices and balanced diet cannot be overemphasized. The percentage of older people at risk of malnutrition in most Kenyan Counties has increased to 29.6% from 20.1% in 2015. This study therefore study sought to assess the effect of dietary practices on malnutrition among the elderly in Kiambu County. The research design was cross sectional descriptive research design. The target population in this study was the elderly population from the age of 60 years and above. A sample of 398 respondents was determined with the help of Yamane Formula. A questionnaire was used to collect data. Descriptive, chi-square and correlation analysis were conducted with the help of SPSS. Results showed that prevalence of malnutrition stands at 42%. Results also showed poor dietary practices. Only 26.6% of the sample had 3 meals per day. The results showed that gender (p=0.000) and education level (p=0.035) were significant. Results also showed that skipping of meals (p=0.003) and number of meals (p=0.042) were significant. Cross tabulation showed that respondents who had less than 3 meals and who skipped at least one meal were more likely to be malnourished. The study concluded that the high prevalence of malnutrition in the sample can be attributed to poor dietary practices. This study recommended an increase in food supplementation efforts by the county government to old people.