Change in nutritional status of the elderly population in Korea

Recent industrialization and urbanization in Korea has caused a steady increase in the labor force participation of women, which resulted in a weakened ability of families to support their elders and an increase in the number of elder persons living by themselves. Therefore, it has become important to monitor and evaluate the nutritional status of the elderly and implement certain forms of intervention for them. We analyzed the changes in nutritional status of the 65-year plus population of Korea during a period of marked economical change using two consecutive nationwide nutrition survey data on 4000 households. Data for this age group were analyzed for changes in the nutrient intake status between 1998 and 2001. Mean energy intake of the elderly has increased from 6562 kJ/capita/day in 1998 to 6770 kJ/capita/day in 2001. This increase was due to the increase in protein and fat intakes, but not carbohydrates. Although the mean intake of most nutrients was improved for the total elderly population, only the male elderly showed significant increases. More than a third of the female elderly population was consuming less than 75% of recommended dietary allowance for all nutrients examined, and the proportion showing low intake for calcium, vitamin A and riboflavin went up further to more than 34. This result clearly reveals the gender difference and vulnerability of the Korean female elderly in terms of dietary intakes. The economic status was not a contributing factor when considering nutrient intakes among the female elderly population. This defines ‘the target’ population for nutrition interventions and a necessity for gender-specific approaches in Korea.