Nutrition of Elderly in the City of Nablus

The challenge of meeting the nutritional needs of elder population is compounded by the lack of research in this area, This challenge is augmented by the interaction of current and past social, economic, and psychological factors, a wide range of individual differences in the biologic process of aging. Nutritional requirements should, at least in part, be based on biologic changes caused by aging as well as requirements of disease processes prevalent in aging, such as cardiovascular disease. The goal of our study, the first of its kind in Palestine is to find out the nutrition status and it’s risk factors in elderly people in Palestine represented by elderly in Nablus. The study sample consisted of 223 elderly from the city of Nablus, who were randomly chosen. They were asked to answer a questionnaire about their social profile, health profile and risk factors affecting nutrition, also Body Mass Index (BMI) was measured. All data were analyzed using Statistical Package for Social Studies (SPSS version 10). Although some results were inconsistent with our expectation, especially those related to BMI and its relation with risk factors, we had very important positive results. There was an overall poor knowledge about nutrition among elderly that necessitates public education about nutrition facts. Our results highlight the need for more attention from the health policy makers to the relationship of nutrition and disease. More important role of professional nutrition specialists in the health system is called for.