Meeting Dietary Guidelines Recommendations: Older Adults, What We Eat in America, NHANES 2013-2016

Authors: Steinfeldt, Lois; Martin, Carrie; Goldman, Joseph; Moshfegh, Alanna

Submitted to: Worldwide Web Site: Food Surveys Research Group
Publication Type: Research Technical Update
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/7/2020
Publication Date: 7/14/2020
Citation: Steinfeldt, L.C., Martin, C.L., Goldman, J.D., Moshfegh, A.J. 2020. Meeting Dietary Guidelines Recommendations: Older Adults, What We Eat in America, NHANES 2013-2016. Worldwide Web Site: Food Surveys Research Group. Available: https://www.ars.usda.gov/nea/bhnrc/fsrg/wweia/dbrief.

Interpretive Summary: The Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020 (DGA) serve as the primary federal source of evidence-based general information and recommendations on diet and nutrition. In this role, the DGA have the potential to empower Americans to make informed decisions about what and how much they eat to improve health and reduce the risk of chronic disease. Older adults have a higher risk of chronic disease and represent a growing percent of the American population. This report compares the usual dietary intakes of 1,422 adults (698 men and 724 women) age 71 and older using 2 days of dietary data from What We Eat in America, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013-2016 (WWEIA, NHANES) to the 2015-2020 DGA recommendations for healthy eating patterns. Overall, less than half of adults age 71 or older meet any of the recommendations for DGA food groups to include in a healthy eating pattern, with the exception of males where 52% meet the recommendation for protein foods and 59% meet the recommendation for the meat, poultry, and egg subgroup within protein foods. More males than females meet the recommendation for protein foods and dairy foods, while more females than males meet the recommendation for limiting sodium. These findings provide important insight for health professionals and policymakers as they design and implement nutrition programs and advice targeted to this population.

Technical Abstract: The 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) recommends healthy eating patterns to help promote health and prevent chronic disease. This report compares the usual intake of food components and the percent meeting the 2015-2020 DGA energy-specific recommendations for 1,422 individuals (698 males and 724 females) using two 24-hour recalls from What We Eat in America, National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2013-2016 (WWEIA, NHANES). Usual intake distributions of selected food pattern components are estimated using the National Cancer Institute Method. These distributions are then compared to the energy-specific recommendations in the DGA as appropriate for each respondent, based on age, sex, and physical activity level. The NHANES Physical Activity Questionnaire is used to classify respondents as sedentary, moderately active, or active. Less than half of adults age 71 or older meet any of the DGA energy-specific recommendations with the exception of males where 52% meet the recommendation for protein foods and 59% meet the recommendation for the meat, poultry, and egg subgroup within protein foods. Significantly more males than females meet the energy-specific recommendation for protein foods (52% vs 30%, p<0.001) and dairy foods (6% vs 1%, p<0.001) while significantly more females than males meet the recommendation for limiting sodium (34% vs 9%, p<0.001). Within the protein foods subgroups, significantly more males than females meet the recommendations for the meat, poultry, and egg subgroup (59% vs 40%, p<0.001). These findings provide important insight for health professionals and policymakers as they design and implement nutrition programs and advice targeted to this population.