Singapore's elderly at risk of malnutrition

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Thursday, 02 September 2010

Xinhua News

A survey found three in 10 elderly folks here at moderate to high risk of malnutrition, local radio 938 Live reported Wednesday.

The survey conducted on 421 relatively healthy elderly folks aged 50 years and above found that the risk of malnutrition increases with age.

Doctors say Singapore's elderly population is not eating right.

According to the survey, conducted from February to March this year by Abbott, only one percent of the elderly respondents met the Health Promotion Board's diet recommendations.

They do not take enough foods which contain calcium, carbohydrates and fiber.

Data collected also shows that those who live in one and two- room public housing flats are at higher risks of malnutrition.

The elderly living in private apartments and condominiums are also found to be at risk.

And doctors are worried about the trend. Senior Consultant Geriatrician Chan Kin Wing said that this is very significant as three in ten is about 30 percent, or almost 300,000 older people who are at risk in terms of absolute numbers.

And if they continue with the current state of nutrition that they are having, then it would certainly develop diseases and illnesses that would have a huge impact on the healthcare system, he said.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/health/2010-09/01/c_13473723.htm

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Comments (1)

Sun 05 Sep 2010 1:03 PM | intanbiru - Time to appreciate their contributions

Singaporeans above 50 yrs old belong to the generation that helped built Singapore into what it is today. Their sacrifices and efforts must not be taken lightly. Something must be done to ensure that they live their golden years gracefully. Having good, healthy and nutritional diet is one factor towards that effect.