FOOD AND QUALITY OF LIFE ASPECTS OF INSTITUTIONALIZED ELDERLY

Abstract

ABSTRACT Objective: To characterize the dietary aspects and the quality of life of institutionalized elderly, identifying food complaints related to the speech-language aspects. Materials and Methods: Observational, descriptive, cross-sectional study of quantitative approach. It was applied a World Health Organization’s questionnaire called World Health Organization Quality of Life – WHOQOL BREF reduced version – Portuguese, and a structured interview regarding dietary aspects with independent elderly from a day-care institution. Correlation analyzes were performed through Pearson’s correlation test with normalized scores, and the Mann-Whitney and one-way ANOVA tests. The significance level was 5% with 95% confidence interval. The project was approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee from Health Sciences Center – UFPB, by number 095/15. Results: The study included 32 elderly, with a mean age 71,84 years (SD=8.85). Women corresponded to 90.6% of the sample. Partial or total edentulism was present in 75% of the volunteers. The mean values obtained in the food complaints questionnaire and the WHOQOL were, respectively, 33.40 points (SD=15.60) and 75.52 points (SD=6.54). There was no statistically significant difference between the dimensions presented in the WHOQOL (p=0.074). When correlating the scores obtained in the WHOQOL with the questionnaire on food complaints, a significant moderate correlation was observed (r=-0.510; p=0.003). These results show a moderate correlation between diet and quality of life. Conclusion: Elderly volunteers had a quality of life classified as good, coinciding with healthy eating. DESCRIPTORS: Aging. Quality of life. Feeding. Speech Therapy.