Influence of Sociodemographic, Health-Related, and Behavioral Factors on Food Guidelines Compliance in Older Adults: A Hierarchical Approach from the Chilean National Health Survey 2016–17 Data

Abstract

Dietary habits are determinants in the development of a range of conditions and age-related diseases. We explored the associations of sociodemographic, health-related indicators, and health behavioral factors on dietary guideline compliance in elderly Chileans. We used a cross-sectional design using the publicly available database from the last Chilean National Health Survey (2016–17). The sample of 1831 older adults (≥60 y) from a national representative sample. The dependent variable was compliance with Food Guidelines (FG) (daily consumption of water, dairy, and fruits and vegetables; and weekly consumption of legumes and fish). The independent variables included sociodemographic, health-related, and behavioral factors. Over half (51.8%) of the sample was female and 85.7% belonged to the 60–79 age group. Satisfactory compliance to FG was observed in 3.9% of the sample. In the adjusted analysis, for those between 60 and 79 y, marital status was the only significant variable associated with FG noncompliance (PR: 1.34; 95%CI: 1.04–1.71). For those over 80 y, income of >2 minimum wages (PR: 0.10; 95%CI: 0.02–0.61), living alone (PR: 1.72; 95%CI: 1.20–2.47), and self-reported cardiovascular disease (PR: 0.63; 95%CI: 0.43–0.93) were associated with FG noncompliance. We observed low FG compliance among elderly Chilean adults, especially in the oldest group. Factors associated with the FG compliance was different between age groups.