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Ninety people, aged 60 and older, were interviewed regarding their shopping habits, use of convenience foods, frequency of food use and reasons for food preferences. The relation of income level and education level to reasons for food use was also investigated. The major source of purchased food was the chain supermarket. Shopping was done primarily on a once a week basis. The food groups purchased most frequently were fruits and vegetables, and milk and milk products. The primary determinants of these shopping patterns were food quality, economy, and convenience. Convenience foods were widely used by the elderly study subjects. They were valued for their ease of preparation. Income level did not influence the choice of market place or the use of convenience foods. More than three fourths of the subjects used some form of milk each day. Low fat milks were most popular. Ground beef and chicken were the most frequently used meats. Beef steaks and roasts and all forms of pork were also well liked. The fruits, in general, were well liked and used on a regular basis. Green beans were the most frequently used vegetable on a weekly basis; lettuce the most frequently used vegetable on a daily basis. With one exception, enriched breads were consumed daily by all subjects. The dry, unsweetened cereals were the most frequently used form of cereal. A preference was found for margarine and oil over butter, shortening, cream, and lard. Coffee, tea, fruit and vegetable juices were all consumed frequently. Soft drinks, artificially sweetened drinks and alcoholic beverages were less acceptable to the elderly. Sensory reasons and the degree of preparation required by a food item were the two most frequently given reasons for food selection. Health considerations were also important to the older people who were both weight conscious and concerned about heart disease. Neither income level nor educational level had an influence on the reasons given for food use. / Graduation date: 1975

This investigation was undertaken to obtain information on the dietary intake of Oregon preschool children and to determine the effect of certain socio-environmental variables on the nutrient intake of these children. Three hundred boys and girls who were attending Well Child or Multiphasic Screening Clinics in 11 counties participated in this project. A home economist interviewed the parent to obtain the child's dietary intake and socio-environmental data of the family. Dietary intake was determined by 24-hour recall or 3-day records. Nutrient intake was compared to the 1974 Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA); intakes below 67 percent of the RDA were considered low. Correlations of socio-environmental factors with nutrient intake were determined by simple linear regression and multiple regression analysis. The mean and median of the children's intake of vitamin A, exceeded the RDA. While the median of their niacin intake was just below the RDA, the mean and median of their iron intake was below the recommended level. Protein and riboflavin were consumed abundantly, with 0 and 3.3 percent of the subjects, respectively, failing to receive two-thirds of the RDA. Sixty-three percent of the children ingested diets that supplied two to three times the RDA for protein. The nutrients most commonly lacking were iron, ascorbic acid, calcium and thiamin, with 39.7, 18.7, 15.3, and 13.0 percent, respectively, of the children having low intakes. Forty-one percent of the children received a nutrient supplement, which was not included in these calculations. The percentage of children consuming diets containing less than 67 percent of the RDA increased with age for the intakes of vitamin A, thiamin, and kilocalories. Low intakes of iron, on the other hand, declined with age. Riboflavin intake was lowest among the four- to six-year-old children. Adequacy of ascorbic acid, niacin and calcium did not show any relation to age. The socio-environmental variables examined were geographic location (urban, rural, or metropolitan), number of siblings as well as education and occupation of each parent. Other socio-environmental variables considered were whether or not the family received public assistance or had contact with the Cooperative Extension Service personnel and bulletins. When multiple regression analysis was ascorbic acid, thiamin, riboflavin, calcium, protein, and kilocalories performed, the only significant correlation (p < 0.05) was observed between the intake of ascorbic acid, mother's education, and mother's profession. Four socio-environmental variables were significantly correlated (p < 0.05) with the intake of one or more nutrients by simple linear regression. A significant correlation was found between mother's education and the intakes of ascorbic acid, calories, and thiamin. A significant correlation was observed between mother's profession and the intakes of niacin and ascorbic acid. Father's education was found to be significantly related to the intake of thiamin. The only significant, negative correlation was found between the intake of thiamin and the number of siblings. / Graduation date: 1976

The effects of improved oral hygiene on the nutrition of 23 elderly institutionalized men and women were investigated. An experimental group of 12 received professional oral hygiene treatments three times weekly for a period of five weeks, while a control group of 11 received only placebo work. Changes in taste perception, nutrient intake, and selected blood parameters were measured. Improved oral hygiene appeared to be responsible for increases in taste acuity. There were significantly more experimental than control subjects who showed improved ability to detect sweet, sour, and salty tastes, and improved identification thresholds for sweet and salty tastes. The nutrient intake of many of the subjects fell below the recommended dietary allowances for this age group, especially for folate. No significant dietary improvement was directly attributable to improved oral hygiene. However, at the end of the five-week period, both groups showed significant increases in their mean dietary calories, protein, calcium, vitamin A, and riboflavin. In addition, the diet of the experimental group increased significantly in iron and thiamin. The dietary improvement appeared to be associated with the psychological effect of frequent professional attention. No significant improvements in blood parameters were shown by either group as a result of the treatment. However, significantly more experimental than control subjects showed an increase in hemoglobin concentration, plasma protein, and plasma ascorbic acid. Low plasma folate concentrations were found in all subjects and there was no folate response to either treatment. / Graduation date: 1975

Folic acid and ascorbic acid status have been assessed in twenty non-institutionalized elderly subjects with respect to both hematological and dietary aspects. The hemoglobins, hematocrits, and serum ascorbic acid concentrations were within the normal range. A few subjects had total serum protein concentrations which were less than the acceptable level. More than half of the subjects had serum folic acid concentrations below the acceptable level. Mean dietary nutrient intakes were comparable to the Recommended Dietary Allowances with the exception of calories and folic acid. In general, the diets of the men were higher in calories, protein and iron while diets of the women were higher in ascorbic and folic acids. The men tended to have higher hematocrits, hemoglobin and serum folates while the women had higher serum concentrations of ascorbic acid. No significant effect due to vitamin C supplementation was observed. Although there was no significant correlation between the serum concentrations of ascorbic and folic acids, examinations of group means suggested that these parameters were inversely related. Multiple regression analyses of hematological values and dietary nutrient intakes revealed no significant effects. / Graduation date: 1975

The interrelationships between physical measurements, dietary intake of specific nutrients, and plasma lipids were examined in 19 healthy elderly subjects. The mean blood pressures, relative weights, and skinfold thicknesses were within normal ranges, although women tended to be more overweight. Systolic pressure and relative weight were associated with increased body fatness, as measured by suprailiac and subscapular skinfolds. On the average, the caloric intake of these subjects was only 85% of the recommended dietary allowance; carbohydrate supplied 48% and fat accounted for 33% of the calories. The subjects consumed a low level of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol but the dietary ratio of polyunsaturates to saturates was similar to that of the typical American diet. Higher levels of dietary fat were associated with higher intakes of saturated fatty acids and cholesterol. The mean concentrations of cholesterol, phospholipids, and triglycerides in plasma were within the normal reported ranges; these lipid fractions appeared to be uninfluenced by the composition of the diet. The concentration of nonesterified fatty acids in plasma was unusually high and positively correlated with age of the subjects. There was also an unexplained correlation between plasma nonesterified fatty acids and the linoleic acid content of the diet. / Graduation date: 1976

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