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Third of Canadian seniors at nutritional risk: StatsCan

Written by: QMI Agency
Mar. 20, 2013

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A third of Canadians aged 65 or older were at nutritional risk in 2008-2009, data released Wednesday by Statistics Canada shows.

To be at nutritional risk means a person is somewhere between healthy and malnourished.

Researchers analyzed data from the Canadian Community Health Survey — Healthy Aging and found that 34% of seniors were at nutritional risk. In many cases, they had gained or lost more than 10 lbs. in six months and skipped meals almost daily.

More women than men were at nutritional risk — 38% of women compared to 28% of men. And 62% of depressed seniors were at nutritional risk — significantly higher than the percentage of at-risk seniors who weren't suffering from depression (33%). People who lived alone were also more commonly found to be at nutritional risk (49%) compared to those who lived with others (28%).

Changes that occur as people age, such as smaller appetites and impaired taste and smell, contribute to nutritional risk, making "adults in later life... particularly vulnerable," StatsCan said.

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