Nutrient intake of elderly people with care need and caregivers based on data of the Comprehensive Survey of the Living Conditions of People on Health and Welfare and the National Nutrition Survey in Japan

OBJECTS: This study examined the nutritional intakes of elderly people with care needs and of the caregivers, using data of the Comprehensive Survey of the Living Conditions of People on Health and Welfare and the National Nutrition Survey in 1995. METHODS: Four groups were categorized: elderly people with care needs (65 and older, n = 83), female caregivers (40 and older, n = 95), other elderly people (65 and older, n = 1,818), and other women (40 and older, n = 3,477). The ratios of intakes to dietary reference intakes (DRIs) for energy and 8 nutrients (protein, fat, calcium, iron, vitamin A/B1/B2/C), as well as salt, were compared among those four groups. RESULTS: Mean ratios to DRIs in elderly people with care needs were 108% for energy, 85% for calcium, and 101-224% for the other 7 nutrients. Mean salt intake in this group was 11.0 g/day. For many nutrients, ratios to DRIs were significantly lower than those in other elderly people. Mean ratios to DRIs in caregivers were 104-294% for energy and the 8 nutrients, and mean salt intake was 12.8 g/day, with no significant differences from date for other women. CONCLUSION: This study cast light on the status of the nutrient intake in elderly people with care needs and their caregivers. It was suggested that calcium intake was insufficient in the former.