Understanding Healthy Eating Habits of Elderly People in a Geriatric Center in Kirkuk City: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background A person's nutritional knowledge has a great influence on their eating habits and nutritional status. Identifying knowledge gaps can lead to educational efforts to reduce the probability of malnutrition and encourage healthy aging. This study aimed to assess older people's knowledge of healthy eating and identify associated factors in the Geriatric Center in Kirkuk City. Methods This was a cross-sectional study conducted from November 5, 2023, to February 25, 2024, at the Geriatric Center in Kirkuk City on 25 older adults who were targeted at the only specialist center in Kirkuk City. All center residents were included (≥60 years old and without severe cognitive impairment). A non-probability, purposive sample was employed in the study. Data were collected using an interview-structured questionnaire. The structured questionnaire consisted of two parts. The first part focused on socio-demographic variables such as age, gender, marital status, education level, and type of work before admission to the center, as well as smoking status, walking, and medical history. The second part related to assessing older people's knowledge of healthy eating using 17 items. Data entry and analysis were performed using SPSS (v 26; IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, US). Data are reported as frequency and percentage and the chi-square test/Fisher exact test was used for categorical variables. The significance level for statistical analysis was set at p<0.05. Results Of the 25 participants included in the study, 20 (80%) were men and 5 (20%) were women. Approximately two-thirds of the 17 (68%) were between 60 and 69 years old, with a mean age of 69.44 ± 5.71 years. Of the 25 older people surveyed, 16 (64%) had low knowledge of healthy eating while 9 (36%) had high knowledge. Knowledge level was significantly associated with age (p = 0.001), gender (p = 0.040), education level (p = 0.006), and smoking status (p = 0.037). Conclusions In the geriatric center in Kirkuk City, the level of knowledge of healthy eating was low. The knowledge level of people tends to be related to factors like age, gender, education level, and smoking status. This, in turn, requires implementing educational programs by healthcare providers at the center to promote knowledge and understanding of healthy diets and practices.