The Nutrition Situation of the Elderly in Ghana: A Case Study

M. Steiner-Asiedu；Sr. J. Mombo Pelenah；B. Bediako-Amoa；A.O. Danquah

Case study ； elderly ； food security ； health ； nutrition

Asian Journal of Medical Sciences

2卷3期（2010 / 06 / 25）

95 - 103

英文

The nutrition and overall state of health of the elderly in the G hanaian society is a serious issue which warrants urgent attention. This paper reports the nutrition circumstances of the elderly visiting a center in Accra, Ghana. Information on socio-demography, lifestyle behaviors, dietary habits, state of health, level of physical activity, and food and nutrition security were collected through in-depth interviews. The participants were made up of 10 males and 36 females (n=46) and aged 60 years and above. Over half (61%) of the participants experienced some degree of food insecurity with 75% of this group being food insecure with moderate hunger while 4% were food insecure with severe hunger. The study showed food insecurity was skewed towards females. Intake of food was marginal and most (males=50%; females=94.4%) skipped meals due to lack of money. Loss of spouse, low education and gender were found to have an influence on food insecurity among the subjects. Majority (76.1%) of the subjects had fair health status with females experiencing more disease conditions than males. Use of multiple drugs was more prevalent among females than males. Almost all subjects were independent in performing all daily activities, except for dressing and washing of self. Nutrition education for the aged is w arranted. Furthermore, policies that will target the general populace to ensure healthy aging cannot be overemphasised.