Food behaviour and health patterns in the French elderly population

With an aging population in Europe, understanding why frailty occurs earlier or later depending on individual characteristics is a strong challenge. Few studies have investigated food behavior and the link with nutritional status among French elderly. In Aupalesens survey, we aimed to identify the link between malnutrition and health, sensory, sociological, psychological, food behavior and preferences. 559 women and men older than 65 years old were enrolled. Typical profiles were identified using a double clustering approach aiming to reduce both observations and variables complexity (CDPCA, Vichi & Saporta, 2009). A partition of the 55 multidisciplinary items into four groups was retained, the underlying components being (1) health and social activity (2) sensitivity to healthy food (3) gender (4) meal satisfaction and sensitivity to food authenticity. Simultaneously seven patterns of people were identified: . Three patterns of people younger than 80, all healthy and active: (1) men, fond of meat and wine, (2) women, driven by emotion in food choice, not picky but eating rarely fish, (3) women guided by health in food choice. . Two patterns of people older than 80 with intermediate scores of nutrition and autonomy: (4) old men having similarities with the pattern (1); (5) women, often widowed, with a decrease in health and mobility level , paying attention to their diet. . Two patterns of people older than 80 with a clear decrease in nutritional status and lack of autonomy: (6) people showing a high rate of depression and pathologies, but still satisfied by meals, and (7) people with a total loss of interest and sense in food, more frequently living in nursing homes than pattern (6). From these patterns seem to appear outlines in ageing and evolution of the nutritional status of elderly people in which psychological dimensions and attitudes toward food play a significant role