Dietary Quality and Perceived Barriers to Weight Loss among Older Overweight Veterans with Dysmobility

Elizabeth A. Parker, William J. Perez, Brian Phipps, Alice S. Ryan, Steven J. Prior, Leslie Katzel, Monica C. Serra and Odessa Addison
Additional contact information
Elizabeth A. Parker: Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
William J. Perez: Baltimore VA Medical Center GRECC, VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
Brian Phipps: Baltimore VA Medical Center GRECC, VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
Alice S. Ryan: Baltimore VA Medical Center GRECC, VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
Steven J. Prior: Baltimore VA Medical Center GRECC, VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
Leslie Katzel: Baltimore VA Medical Center GRECC, VA Maryland Health Care System, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA
Monica C. Serra: Division of Geriatrics, Gerontology & Palliative Medicine and the Sam & Ann Barshop Institute for Longevity & Aging Studies, UT Health San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78229, USA
Odessa Addison: Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21201, USA

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 15, 1-10

Abstract: Healthier diets are associated with higher muscle mass and physical performance which may reduce the risk of developing frailty and disability later in life. This study examined the dietary quality and self-reported weight loss barriers among older (>60 years), overweight (BMI ≥ 25 kg/m 2 ) Veterans with dysmobility (low gait speed, impaired mobility diagnosis, or a comorbidity that results in impaired mobility). Habitual dietary intake and healthy eating index (HEI-2015) were assessed using 24-h recalls and compared to US nationally representative dietary intake data and national recommendations. The “MOVE!11” Patient Questionnaire assessed weight loss barriers. The sample ( n = 28) was primarily male (93%), black (54%) and obese (BMI = 35.5 ± 5.4 kg/m 2 ) adults aged 69.5 ± 7.0 years with two or more comorbidities (82%); 82% were prescribed four or more medications. Daily intakes (mean ± SD) were calculated for total energy (2184 ± 645 kcals), protein (0.89 ± 0.3 g/kg), fruits (0.84 ± 0.94 cup·eq.), vegetables (1.30 ± 0.87 cup·eq.), and HEI-2015 (52.8 ± 13.4). Veterans consumed an average of 11% less protein than the recommendation for older adults (1.0 g/kg/d) and consumed fewer fruits and vegetables than comparisons to national averages (18% and 21%, respectively). Mean HEI-2015 was 17% below the national average for adults >65 years, suggesting poor dietary quality among our sample. Top weight loss barriers were not getting enough physical activity, eating too much and poor food choices. This data suggests that dietary quality is suboptimal in older, overweight Veterans with disability and highlights the need to identify strategies that improve the dietary intake quality of older Veterans who may benefit from obesity and disability management.

Keywords: dietary quality; aging; veterans; impaired mobility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/15/9153/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/15/9153/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:15:p:9153-:d:872833

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().