DIFFERENCES IN BREAKFAST HABITS BETWEEN INSTITUTIONALIZED AND INDEPENDENT ELDERLY SPANISH PEOPLE

Art investigation was made into the breakfast habits of 150 elderly pe ople between 65 and 95 years of age. The food intake of 58 institution alized subjects was followed by means of ''precise individual weighing of food''. The food intake of 92 subjects living independently was fo llowed using a prospective method involving the keeping of a ''weighed food record''. For all subjects the study lasted 5 consecutive days i ncluding a Sunday. Institutionalized subjects spent more time at break fast (p < 0.01 in women) and the food they consumed was more varied, b oth in terms of number of foods (p < 0.001) and food groups (p < 0.001 ). Their breakfasts included more fruit (P < 0.001), fibre (P < 0.05 i n women) and vitamin A (P < 0.01) than those of independent subjects, 7% of whom took no breakfast at all with a further 8% consuming only a glass of milk or fruit juice. 62.7% of independent and 43.1% of insti tutionalized subjects consumed an inadequate breakfast (i.e. their bre akfasts provided less than 20% of their energy expenditure). The break fasts of institutionalized subjects contained a greater percentage of their total daily intake of carbohydrates (P < 0.001 in women), fibre (P < 0.01 in women), thiamine (p < 0.05 in women), vitamin B-12 (p < 0 .05 in women, p < 0. 001 in men), vitamin D (p < 0.01 in women) and ma gnesium (p < 0.05 in women). Given the importance of breakfast in the maintenance of a satisfactory nutritive condition, these results sugge st that both qualitative and quantitative improvements of elderly peop le's breakfasts are required. Residing at an old people's home seems t o improve the quality of breakfast consumed, especially for elderly wo men.