Contribution of home-delivered meals to the dietary intake of the elderly

A cross-sectional survey was conducted of a select sample of home-delivered meals recipients, aged 65 years and over, living in a small Canadian city. The objectives were to assess dietary adequacy and to determine the nutritional contribution of the consumed portion of the home-delivered meal to the total energy/nutrient intakes of the recipients. Detailed dietary data was collected from 7-day food records and analyzed to estimate their content of energy and 17 nutrients. The mean total energy and nutrients intakes met or exceeded the recommended levels for all nutrients except energy, zinc, and vitamin A in males and zinc in females. The nutrients of concern for inadequate intakes were vitamin A, zinc, calcium and magnesium. The mean nutrient contribution of the delivered meals to the total nutrient intakes of all subjects ranged from 31% for folate to 61% for vitamin B12. These findings emphasize the important contribution that home-delivered meals make to the nutrient needs of the recipients.