Educação alimentar e nutricional para população idosa: uma revisão integrativa

Introduction: Research has shown the accelerated population growth of the elderly, and healthy eating is an important means of achieving active and healthy aging. Objective: To describe the scientific evidence published in the literature about publications in the food and nutritional education (FNE) area for the elderly population. Materials and Methods: An integrative review was performed in the electronic databases (SCIELO, MEDLINE and LILACS) using the terms “food and nutrition education”, “health education” and “seniors”. Articles published in the period 2006 to 2016 were included in the English, Spanish and Portuguese languages, which approached the theme. Results: In the final sample, 5 articles remained, 1 national and 4 international. It was verified that the analyzed articles used as an FNE practice culinary and recreational activities, 3 studies also carried out the evaluation of nutritional status as a form of evaluating the intervention, as well as questionnaires and field diary. Research has shown the benefits of FNE in the elderly population. Conclusion: FNE can contribute not only to healthy eating, but also to improving the mental health and socialization of the elderly, contributing to aging with autonomy and independence.