# Prevalence of Poor Diet Quality and Associated Factors Among Older Adults from the Bagé Cohort Study of Ageing, Brazil (SIGa-Bagé)

## TL;DR

This study found that over 40% of older adults in Brazil have poor diet quality, with men and racial minorities being especially affected.

## Contribution

The study identifies sociodemographic and health factors linked to poor diet quality in older adults in southern Brazil.

## Key findings

- 41.5% of older adults had poor diet quality.
- Male sex and black or brown skin color were associated with poor diet quality.
- Depressive symptoms were linked to poor diet quality after adjustment.

## Abstract

(1) Background: The accelerated aging of the population raises concerns about the diet of older adults due to its relationship with health and quality of life. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of poor diet quality and its association with sociodemographic factors and health status among older adults residing in the city of Bagé, located in southern Brazil; (2) Methods: A cross-sectional analysis was conducted using data from the 2016/2017 follow-up of the Bagé Aging Cohort Study (SIGa-Bagé). Diet quality was assessed using the Elderly Diet Quality Index. Descriptive analysis and Poisson regression with robust variance adjustment, based on hierarchical levels, were used to calculate crude and adjusted prevalence ratios with their respective 95% confidence intervals; (3) Results: The sample included 728 older adults (65.7% female; mean age: 77.2 years). Poor diet quality was observed in 41.5% of participants. After adjustment, male sex, black or brown skin color, absence of multimorbidity, and presence of depressive symptoms were significantly associated with poor diet quality; (4) Conclusions: The findings highlight the most vulnerable groups and the need for investments in strategies to promote mental health and healthy eating habits among the older adults, particularly among men and racial minority groups.