1. The Association Between Diet Quality and Quality of Life in Overweight and Obese Older Adults
KLARA ZOLOTNITSKAYA
Nutrition and Dietetics Major
Department of Nutrition and Food Sciences
FACULTY SPONSOR: INGRID LOFGREN

2. Obesity Category Value Underweight < 18.5 kg/m2 Normal weight
Prevalence of obesity has continued to rise since 19761
Body mass index (BMI) classifications1
Obesity-related chronic diseases include diabetes, hypertension, stroke, heart disease, cancers2
Category
Value
Underweight
< 18.5 kg/m2
Normal weight
kg/m2
Overweight
kg/m2
Obese
≥ 30.0 kg/m2

3. Older Women Obesity impacts health related quality of life3
In 2008, 35.5% of women were obese1
31% of older women, ages 65+, are limited in their ability to perform daily acitivities4
Physical functioning declines as women get older4
31% of older women have a condition of diability that limits full participation in daily activities

4. Participant Information
University of Rhode Island Dietary Education and Active Lifestyle (UR-IDEAL) Phase II
Participants recruited from four senior centers
Two in urban setting – Warwick and Cranston
Two in rural setting – North Kingstown and South Kingstown
109 older adults
Ages – years
20 males
89 females

5. Methodology Participants completed Dietary Screening Tool (DST)
Identifies nutritional risk and overall dietary intake
Three levels of nutritional risk: at risk (<60), possible risk (60-75), and not at risk (>75)

6. Methodology Participants completed Short Form 12 (SF-12)
Measures health related quality of life (HRQOL)
Physical Component Score (PCS-12) and Mental Component Score (MCS-12)
Summary Score Ranges 0-100
Higher Score indicates better HRQOL

7. Sample SF-12 Questions

8. Participant Characteristics
Mean ± SD
Height
109
Weight
Body mass index
Waist Circumference
Hip Circumference
108
Total DST Score
Total SF-12 Score
The number of participants who’s hip circumference was recorded is less than the number of participants in all other categories

9. Participant Characteristics
Mean ± SD
Height
109
63.3 ± 3.17
Weight
190.3 ± 30.81
Body mass index
33.4 ± 4.26
Waist Circumference
39.75 ± 4.82
Hip Circumference
108
45.28 ± 3.94
Total DST Score
65.42 ± 12.89
Total SF-12 Score
32.31 ± 2.44
Mean BMI of participants is 33.4, indicating obesity
Mean DST score among participants is 65.42, indicating possible nutritional risk
Mean SF-12 score is 32.31, indicating that most participants have a low HRQOL as this study categorized HRQOL score <33 to be low, >33 to be high HRQOL

10. Dietary Screening Tools Scores60 50
Possible risk 40
Number of Participants 30
At risk
Not at risk 20 10

11. Health Related Quality of Life Results
Number of Participants
Low HRQOL
High HRQOL

12. Correlation Between DST and SF-12 Scores
p=0.739
Not significant
Participant SF-12 Scores
Participant DST Scores

13. Results N Value Significance
No significant association between DST category and HRQOL category after Chi-square test for independence
Comparing the number of participants in each category
Chi-Square Tests N
Value
Significance
Pearson Chi-Square
109
1.894
0.388
Likelihood Ratio
2.011
0.366
Linear-by-Linear Association
1.189
0.276

14. Conclusion Both DST and SF-12 reduce participant burden
Shorter in length than alternatives – Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) and SF-36

15. Conclusion
FFQ and SF-36 may yield different results because both provide different data
FFQ - macronutrient breakdown of participants typical diet over a month
SF-36 - eight domains of health
Assesses two main subscales: physical component and mental component subscales, and overall summary score
Other studies have found an association between physical component score and diet quality

16. References References
1. Flegal KM, Carroll MD, Ogden CL, Curtin LR. Prevalence and Trends in Obesity among US Adults, JAMA 2010; 303:
2. Malnick SD, Knobler H. The Medical Complications of Obesity. QJM 2006; 99: doi: /qjmed/hcl085
3. Blissmer B, Riebe D, Dye G, Ruggiero L, Greene G, Caldwell M. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes. Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 2006; 4: 1-8.
4. Wyn R, Solis B. Women’s Health Issues Across the Lifespan. Women’s Health Issues 2001; 11:

17. Questions