Food intake and its relation with socioeconomic factors in an older adults group

Objective To describe food intake and establish the correlation between some socioeconomic factors in a group of senior adults. Materials and Methods Descriptive, cross-sectional study with 178 adults, ≥60 years old, who attended a dental consultation at Universidad de Antioquia between September 2014 and February 2015. Measurements for socio-demographic variables, frequency of food intake and food safety scale were obtained. The Chi-squared test was used to determine the association between food intake and socioeconomic variables. The categorical principal components analysis was used to determine feeding patterns. Results About 50 % of the sample consumed dairy between one and three times a day, and meat, fruits and vegetables from one to two times. 74.7 % consumed cereals, bananas and tubers more than four times a day, which contrasts with dry grains and monounsaturated fat, whose frequency was less than once per day. Dairy and fruit intake had a significant association (p