Variations in Nutritional Risk Among Mexican American and Non-Mexican American Homebound Elders Who Receive Home-Delivered Meals

摘要

Good nutritional health is essential to prevent functional decline and improve quality of life. Little is known of disparities in the extent of risk for poor nutritional health among homebound Mexican American (MA) elders who receive Older American Act Nutrition Program (OAANP) home-delivered meals. In order to assist OAANP service providers in understanding racial/ethnic differences in nutritional risk, this study examined routinely collected data on 908 homebound MA and non-MA in the Texas Lower Rio Grande Valley. Homebound MA were more likely to report poverty, risk factors for and indicators of poor nutritional health, Independent of poverty and covariates, MA were more likely to report very high nutritional risk. This underscores the importanceof understanding racial/ethnic disparities in the extent of risk for poor nutritional health for the development, implementation, and evaluation of effective strategies to alleviate nutritional health disparities.