Variations in nutritional risk among black and white women who receive home-delivered meals

The maintenance of good nutritional status is a cornerstone of health, function, and quality of life. To assess indicators and correlates of high levels of nutritional risk, sociodemographic, functional status, and nutritional data were collected from a diverse sample of 729 older women. Results from ordered logit analysis indicated that being Black, having an income less than or equal to125% of the federal poverty level, living alone, and being in the younger-old age group (ages 60 to 74 years) were associated with moderately high and very high levels of nutritional risk. An examination of individual and multiple nutritional risk indicators suggested a heightened vulnerability of Black women to inadequate dietary intake, even net of income and other influential variables. With demographic projections of an increasingly numerous and diverse older population who may face health and nutritional challenges, researchers must strengthen efforts to assist policymakers and service providers to properly target nutrition services. (C) 2002 by The Haworth Press, Inc. All rights reserved.