Impact of socioeconomic status on dietary intake in adults aged 60 and over, in Northwestern Spain: a study of community‐dwelling older adults enrolled in a municipal active aging program

Background: Unhealthy lifestyles and poor dietary habits pose a major challenge to global public health, contributing significantly to the burden of disease and mortality. This phenomenon has been connected to various sociodemographic and economic factors that negatively affect diet quality, particu...

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Bibliographic Details
Authors: Murillo Zaldívar, Ana María, Alonso Domínguez, Rosario, González Sánchez, Jesús, Vicente García, Teresa, Recio Rodríguez, José Ignacio, Barbero Iglesias, Fausto José, González Manzano, Susana
Format: article
Status:Published version
Publication Date:2026
Country:España
Institution:Universidad de Salamanca (USAL)
Repository:GREDOS. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad de Salamanca
OAI Identifier:oai:dnet:gredos______::9fb71f6804194e62cd97cbe7766d4eed
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/10366/170918
Access Level:Open access
Keyword:Older Adults
Dietary Intake
Public health
Socioeconomic status
Public Health
salud pública
Description
Summary:Background: Unhealthy lifestyles and poor dietary habits pose a major challenge to global public health, contributing significantly to the burden of disease and mortality. This phenomenon has been connected to various sociodemographic and economic factors that negatively affect diet quality, particularly among older adults. Objective: To evaluate the relationship between socioeconomic status and diet intake among community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 60 years enrolled in a municipal active aging program (PReGe) in Northwestern Spain. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted in adults aged 60 years and older residing in Salamanca, Spain. Data collection included sociodemographic variables such as age, sex, and postal address, as well as nutritional variables assessed through a food frequency questionnaire. Results: The sample consisted of 192 individuals. A positive association was observed between socioeconomic status and the intake of cereals and vegetables. In contrast, a negative association was observed with total fat and saturated fat intake (p < 0.05 for all). Conclusion: A significant association is closely related between socioeconomic status and dietary quality, highlighting a higher intake of saturated fats among individuals with lower socioeconomic status and a greater intake of vegetables and cereals among those with higher socioeconomic status in community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 60 years enrolled in a municipal active aging program in Northwestern Spain (Salamanca).