Community-Based Nutrition Intervention in Affordable Housing for Elders

By 2040, there will be more than 35 million additional older adults in the U.S..  Improving nutritional status is one health intervention that may be cost effective and efficacious in helping elders remain independent.  In Vermont, the Support And Services at Home (SASH) program was developed around the same time that the State adopted the Section 1115 Medicaid Waiver that guarantees Medicaid beneficiaries in need of nursing home level of care receipt of that care in the setting of their choice.  The goal of this pilot project is to  measure the direct short-term effect of a community-based nutrition intervention on nutritional status and frailty, utilizing an experimental/control group design in SASH settings.  The hypothesis tested is that improving nutrition knowledge and literacy will result in better food choices and contribute a reduction in frailty in elders at risk.  Group A recieved the nutrition education intervention over six weeks (Group B =control group). Dietary intake ( intake of fruit/vegetables, sodium, and fiber) and understanding of ‘healthy food choices’  was assessed at intake, program completion and at 3 and 6 months. Blood samples were obtained for biomarkers of dietary intake of fruits/vegetables (carotene, vitamin C), vitamin D levels for bone health, inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein, IL-6),and fasting glucose/insulin concentrations and lipid profile pre/post and at six months. All data will be analyzed prior to the November 2014 APHA meetings (last data collection =8/2014). This pilot serves as proof of concept that nutrition education interventions are a viable tool to increase nutrition outcomes.