The older population in the United States has been growing and aging rapidly. The population of persons 65 years and older is expected to double over the next 30 years with those 85 and older expected to grow faster than any other age group. Chronic diseases, including heart disease, hypertension, diabetes and cancers are among the leading causes of disability and death for older adults. The diseases have significant influences on life quality and health care costs. Diet is an important factor in reducing risk for and improving management of many chronic diseases. Nutrition screening is one strategy for enhancing preventive nutritional care of older persons. The Geisinger Rural Aging Study (GRAS) is a longitudinal screening study of nutrition risk and health outcomes of rural older adults. The GRAS screening instrument does not adequately assess dietary intake. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a questionnaire to be used as a screen for assessment of dietary quality. A two-phased study is proposed. In Phase 1, the dietary quality screen (DQS) will be developed using data already available from a nutrition study (n=179), specifically dietary data collected by five 24-hour recalls over one year. In Phase 2, the DQS will be assessed for reproducibility and validity in a new cohort of older adults (n=225) selected from the GRAS population. Reproducibility will be assessed with a test-retest design and validity by comparison of DQS scores to dietary quality indexes from four 24-hour recalls administered over a 1-month period. Associations between DQS scores and weight status (i.e., body mass index and waist circumference) and selected biomarkers will be assessed. The results from this study can facilitate dietary counseling of older adults and provide guidance for nutritional interventions. Future research will evaluate the DQS in a more racially and geographically diverse population of older adults. ? ?

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Type
Exploratory/Developmental Grants (R21)
Project #
1R21AG023179-01A1
Application #
6824138
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZRG1-HOP-D (50))
Program Officer
Dutta, Chhanda
Project Start
2004-09-01
Project End
2006-06-30
Budget Start
2004-09-01
Budget End
2005-06-30
Support Year
1
Fiscal Year
2004
Total Cost
$116,269
Indirect Cost
Name
Pennsylvania State University
Department
Nutrition
Type
Schools of Allied Health Profes
DUNS #
003403953
City
University Park
State
PA
Country
United States
Zip Code
16802
Bailey, Regan L; Miller, Paige E; Mitchell, Diane C et al. (2009) Dietary screening tool identifies nutritional risk in older adults. Am J Clin Nutr 90:177-83
Bailey, Regan L; Mitchell, Diane C; Miller, Carla K et al. (2007) A dietary screening questionnaire identifies dietary patterns in older adults. J Nutr 137:421-6
Bailey, Regan L; Mitchell, Diane C; Miller, Carla et al. (2007) Assessing the effect of underreporting energy intake on dietary patterns and weight status. J Am Diet Assoc 107:64-71
Bailey, Regan L; Gutschall, Melissa D; Mitchell, Diane C et al. (2006) Comparative strategies for using cluster analysis to assess dietary patterns. J Am Diet Assoc 106:1194-200