# Nutritional vulnerability and its associated characteristics among the elderly in Seoul: analysis of data from the Seoul food survey 2024

## TL;DR

This study identifies factors linked to poor nutrition among elderly in Seoul, showing men and those with lower education or living alone are most at risk.

## Contribution

The study introduces a method to classify nutritional vulnerability using the NQ-E and identifies specific sociodemographic and dietary risk factors.

## Key findings

- 19% of elderly individuals in Seoul were classified as nutritionally vulnerable.
- Men, those with lower education, and individuals living alone were more likely to be nutritionally vulnerable.
- Higher food literacy was associated with reduced nutritional vulnerability across all groups.

## Abstract

With South Korea transitioning into a super-aged society in 2024, nutritional vulnerability among the elderly is a growing concern, particularly in Seoul with its large elderly population. This study aimed to identify nutritionally vulnerable elderly individuals in Seoul and examine associated sociodemographic and dietary characteristics using the Nutrition Quotient for the Elderly (NQ-E).

This study analyzed data on 720 elderly individuals aged 65 years or older from the raw data of the Seoul Food Survey 2024. Based on their scores calculated using NQ-E, respondents were categorized into high, medium, and low grades. In this study, individuals in the low grade were defined as the nutritionally vulnerable group, while those in the medium and high grades were classified as the non-vulnerable group to facilitate analysis of group-specific characteristics. Sociodemographic and dietary characteristics of the two groups were compared. Logistic regression was conducted to identify these characteristics associated with nutritional vulnerability.

A total of 19.0% of respondents were classified as nutritionally vulnerable. Logistic regression analysis revealed, among the total elderly population, men were more likely to be nutritionally vulnerable than women (OR = 2.88, 95% CI: 1.29–6.44). Those with middle school graduation or less had higher odds of nutritional vulnerability compared to those with high school graduation or higher (OR = 3.42, 95% CI: 1.52–7.70). Higher food literacy was associated with lower odds of nutritional vulnerability across all groups: total elderly population (OR = 0.90, 95% CI: 0.87–0.93), elderly men (OR = 0.91, 95% CI: 0.86–0.96), and elderly women (OR = 0.88, 95% CI: 0.83–0.93). Among elderly men, those with lower educational level (middle school graduation or less) were more likely to be nutritionally vulnerable (OR = 8.63, 95% CI: 2.63–28.26), and those living alone were more likely to be nutritionally vulnerable compared to those living with others (OR = 3.42, 95% CI: 1.14–10.27).

These findings underscore the importance of implementing targeted interventions to reduce nutritional vulnerability among older adults in Seoul, particularly elderly men living alone. Future research and policy efforts should focus on food literacy as a potential approach to address nutritional vulnerability among the elderly.