Nutrient intakes and adequacy among an older population on the eastern shore of Maryland: The Salisbury Eye Evaluation

Objective: To describe the reported usual dietary intakes of the participants in the Salisbury Eye Evaluation (SEE) project and to estimate the prevalence of inadequate nutrient intakes using the probability approach. Subjects/setting: A representative sample of elderly residents (aged 65 to 85 years) of Salisbury, Md. Design: Cross-sectional survey, using a food frequency questionnaire to obtain nutrient intakes. We estimated energy and protein; percent of energy intake from carbohydrates, fat, and protein; as well as usual intakes of cholesterol vitamin A, carotenoids, vitamin C, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin B-6, vitamin E, niacin, iron, calcium, zinc, and folate. Estimates of prevalence of inadequate nutrient intakes were calculated using the probability approach among the 2,655 participants with complete nutrient intake information. Statistical analyses performed: The χ² test for independence and analysis of variance. A P<.05 was considered significant in a 2-sided test. Result: On average, white participants of both genders reported higher mean energy and nutrient intakes than did black participants. Zinc had the highest estimated prevalences of inadequacy across all gender and race categories, followed by calcium, vitamin E, and vitamin B-6. Vitamin C, with estimated prevalences of inadequacy lower than 13%, and folate, with prevalences lower than 17%, had the lowest estimated prevalences of inadequacy across all gender, race, and age categories. Conclusions: In this population, there are race differences in estimated prevalences of inadequate nutrient intake. According to the current nutrient requirements for adults aged 51 years and older, many elderly persons have inadequate dietary intakes of key nutrients.