Food consumption among older adults: differences between men and women

Objective: To describe the eating habits of older men and women who live in Brazilian state capitals and the Federal District. Methodology: This cross-sectional study was based on data from the Surveillance System for Risk and Protective Factors for Chronic Diseases by Telephone Survey (Vigitel, 2018) (n = 15,338 older adults, age ≥ 65 years). Diet was assessed as consumption of healthy foods (vegetables, fruits, natural juice, and natural/minimally processed foods) and unhealthy foods (soft drinks/artificial juice, soft drinks, and ultra-processed foods) weekly, daily, and/or the day before the interview. Food consumption prevalence was estimated according to sex, and associations were determined using the Wald test and adjusted logistic regression. Results: The sample was 60.70% women. Women were more likely than men to consume raw vegetables, cooked vegetables, fruits, and juice and they were less likely to consume soft drinks during any given week. Regarding daily consumption, women were more likely than men to consume fruit and less likely to consume raw vegetables, juice, or soft drinks. On the day prior to the interview, more women reported having consumed natural or minimally processed foods more than men, except for beans and cereals. Regarding ultra-processed foods, the participants reported consuming more dairy drinks and bread than soft drinks, cookies, and processed meats. Conclusions: Food consumption among older adults differs according to sex, indicating that nutritional education strategies aimed at promoting adequate and healthy eating are needed, especially among men.