Dietary practices and nutritional status of elderly persons in post-conflict: A cross-sectional study of Northern Uganda

Background Malnutrition remains a problem in older populations globally. Most older persons do not meet the required dietary intake with the majority consuming more of carbohydrate-based foods and vegetables. The current study therefore aimed at assessing the dietary practices, nutritional status and associated factors among elderly persons in the post-war setting of Gulu district. Methods This was a cross-sectional study among elderly persons ≥ 60 years residing in Bungatira Sub-County, Aswa County-Gulu District. The study used a multi-stage sampling procedure. Nutritional status was measured using the Mini Nutrition Assessment – Short Form (MNA-SF) Analysis was done in STATA 16 using modified Poisson regression model. Variables with a p-value of 0.05 at multivariable analysis were considered as factors associated with malnutrition. Results The study enrolled 141 participants with a median age (IQR) of 71(64,79) years. Majority of the respondents, 96(68.1%) were female and 72(51.1%) reported to be widows or widowers. Nearly three quarters, 104(73.8%) were involved in agriculture as a source of livelihood and 64(45.4%) had no education background. The prevalence of malnutrition was 53.9% [95%Cl: 45.6 – 62.0]. The study found that 47(33.6%) participants ate Sorghum and its products daily and 64(45.7%) ate it 1-4 times per week. Millet was eaten by 62(45.9%) participants 1-4 times a week while maize and its products was eaten by 56(40.6%) 1-2 times monthly. We found that increasing age (aPR=1.02, 95%Cl =1.00–1.04, p-value=0.022), having primary education (aPR=1.59, 95%Cl=1.06–2.38, p-value=0.026), staying <5km away from the health facility (aPR=1.60, 95%Cl=1.18–2.16, p-value=0.003) and a DDS ≥60 (aPR=0.70, 95%CI=0.53–0.94, p-value=0.018) were significantly associated with having malnutrition. Conclusion Majority of the participants were malnourished. Elderly persons were found to have a decline in food intake in the past months; and age, education, dietary diversity and distance from healthcare facility were the factors that influenced nutritional status. There’s need for age-appropriate elderly health education programs. Elderly programs should aim at bringing healthcare services nearer to the elderly through community and home-based approaches.