Abstract:
Good nutrition is an important indicator of longevity and good health of the elderly. Hence, this
study assessed the nutritional practices with regard to the consumption of breakfast, lunch and supper
by the elderly in Ateitu and Winneba Zongo communities in the Effutu Municipality. Descriptive
survey design was adopted for this study. A total of one hundred (100) elderly people aged 60 years
and above, were selected via snowball and purposive sampling techniques for the study. A pre-tested
and contextually prepared structured questionnaire (Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient =0.78)
and observation checklist were used to conduct the survey. The Statistical Package for Social
Sciences (SPSS) version 22 was used to analyse the data quantitatively using frequency count and
percentage. The findings indicate that although many elderly people in Ateitu and Winneba Zongo
communities regulalrly ate nutritious and balanced meals for breakfast, lunch and supper at the right
time; a few (4%) of them skipped lunch. It is, therefore, recommended that the Ministry of Gender
and Social Protection (MoGSP) through the Effutu Municipal Assembly and Social Welfare
Department should extend the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP)programmeto the
elderly who are in abject poverty in these communities. Caretaker family members and social
support networks should regularly feed the elderly with nutritious and balanced three square meals
regularly at the right time. |
