Grocery purchasing among older adults by chewing ability, dietary knowledge and socio-economic status

Date

2011

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Brennan, D.
Singh, K.

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Journal article

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Public Health Nutrition, 2011; 14(7):1279-1284

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David S Brennan and Kiran A Singh

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Abstract

Objectives: Nutrition plays a central role in health, with poor dietary habits and nutritional intake being associated with a range of chronic diseases. The aim was to examine grocery purchasing behaviour in relation to chewing ability, dietary knowledge and socio-economic status (SES) among older adults. Design: Data were collected by mailed survey in 2008. Grocery purchasing was measured using a sixteen-item index of compliance of food purchasing with dietary guidelines. Self-reported number of teeth was classified as an inadequate dentition if less than twenty-one teeth were present. Chewing ability was based on a five-item chewing index. Dietary knowledge was collected using twenty true/false items. SES was assessed using a subjective social status rating representing where people stand in society. Setting: Population survey in Adelaide, South Australia. Subjects: Adults aged 60–71 years. Results: Responses were collected from 444 persons (response rate = 68·8 %). Among dentate persons, 24·4 % had an inadequate dentition with 10·3 % defined as ‘chewing deficient’. Multivariate regression coefficients adjusted for age, sex and income showed chewing deficiency (−5·8) and low SES (−3·6) was associated (P < 0·05) with lower grocery purchasing scores, but dietary knowledge was not statistically significant. Conclusions: For older adults, chewing deficiency and lower social status were associated with lower compliance with dietary guidelines, independent of dietary knowledge.

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Published online: 21 September 2010

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© The Authors 2010

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