Gender Differences in Nutritional Risk Among Older Rural Adults

Older adults are vulnerable to nutrition-related health problems due to health and psychosocial changes that accompany aging. Those in rural communities face additional problems. This study characterizes the nutritional risk of rural older adults using the Nutritional Risk Index (NRI), paying particular attention to gender differences in risk. Data come from face-to-face interviews with a random sample of 638 White rural adults aged 55 and older. Women scored significantly higher on the NRI, indicating greater nutritional risk. Women were more likely to report NRI items related to oral health, special diets, disease interference with eating, gastrointestinal prob lems, and anemia, whereas men were more likely to report smoking regularly. A comparison with the application of the NRI in other populations indicates that it is sensitive to nutrition-related health conditions that may be more prevalent in rural populations, making it a useful tool for measuring nutritional risk. Achieving adequate nutrition in older adults is important for both health and quality of life. Nutritional status has been linked to immune function and infectious disease risk (Bell & High, 1997; Roebothan & Chandra, 1994) as well as to morbidity and mortality (Casper, 1995; Mowe & Bohmer, 1996; Sullivan & Walls, 1994). Eating regular meals and familiar foods enhances feelings of well-being for older persons (Quandt, Vitolins, DeWalt, & Roos, 1997). However, both the biological and social aspects of nutrition are fre quently harder to achieve in older adults than in younger adults. Chronic dis eases characteristic of aging alter nutrient and food requirements (Casper, 1995; Cohen, 1994). Oral health problems and prescription drug use can result in changes in taste and appetite (Mowe & Bohmer, 1996; Roe, 1994). Changes in social contact, mobility, and income can lead to problems in obtaining appropriate food (Miller et al., 1996; Zylstra, Beerman, Hillers, & Mitchell, 1995). Therefore, older adults are considered to be a segment of the population at nutritional risk (Abbasi & Rudman, 1994; Lee & Novielli,