Study on the effect of area deprivation index on nutrient intake and muscle mass of Korean elderly people

Background & Objectives: This study aims to identify regional differences by identifying nutrient intake and muscle mass of the elderly by region, and to analyze the relationship of ADI on nutrient intake and muscle mass. Methods: This study included 1,262 elderly people aged 65 and older in the first year of the 9th National Health and Nutrition Examination(2022), excluding 334 elderly people who did not participate in the body composition test and 70 elderly people who did not participate in the food intake survey. The data were analyzed by applying frequency analysis, descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, and two-layer multi-layered modeling. Results: Protein intake was highest in the elderly in Seoul, fat intake was highest in the Ulsan area, and carbohydrate intake was highest in the Sejong region, and protein, fat, and carbohydrate intake were lowest in the Jeonnam region. Among the factors affecting the ADI for nutrient intake in the elderly, protein intake was related to gender, age, and alcohol consumption, fat intake was related to gender, age, and marital status, and carbohydrate intake was related to gender and age. In addition, the more people lived in areas with lower ADIs, the more protein and fat they consumed. The factors that affected the ADI for muscle mass in the elderly were gender, age, alcohol consumption, smoking status, protein intake, fat intake, and carbohydrate intake, and the more ADI lived in the area, the more muscle mass increased. Conclusion: In order to improve health inequalities among the elderly in each region, it is necessary to establish effective health policies related to nutrition and physical activity considering health promotion and intervention programs and ADI, and to provide health education that can reflect the characteristics of local communities.