NUTRITIONAL-STATUS OF INSTITUTIONALIZED ELDERLY IN ECUADOR

The nutritional status of 111 elderly men and women aged 60 to 99 year s in two institutions in the Ecuadorian Andes was evaluated using diet ary, anthropometric and biochemical measurements. Mean daily energy in takes of men and women were 1720 and 1650 kcal, respectively (7.2 and 6.9 MJ), corresponding to 1.5 times the calculated basal metabolic rat e (BMR). 6% of subjects had intakes less than 1.2xBMR and 40% less tha n 1.5xBMR. Body mass index (BMI) was below 20 kg/m(2) in 21% of subjec ts; 45% were between 20 and 24. Only one subject had a BMI over 29. In takes of protein, calcium, iron, riboflavin and vitamin C were satisfa ctory, in contrast to those of zinc, vitamin A, niacin and thiamin. Us ing sex- and altitude-specific cutoffs for hemoglobin, anemia was obse rved in 11% of subjects. Nutritional status, evaluated using biochemic al indicators, was satisfactory with respect to riboflavin, vitamin A, vitamin E and copper. 14% of subjects had low serum zinc levels and 1 7% had serum albumin values below 35 g/L. Low physical activity was as sociated with low energy intake and low serum albumin levels.