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BLOOD PRESSURE OF ELDERLY PERSONS AND MODIFICATION OF DIETARY PRACTICES IN RELATION TO SODIUM STATUS, POTASSIUM, AND CALCIUM INTAKE (HYPERTENSION)
Abstract
Three studies focused on blood pressure in elderly persons. Two studies focused on factors related to blood pressure including sodium, potassium, and calcium intakes, taste preference for sodium, and urinary excretion of sodium. The third study dealt with educational efforts to modify dietary practices. In study A, mineral consumption was explored with subjects completing a survey questionnaire to determine general patterns of food intake indicative of amounts of sodium, potassium, and calcium consumed, and completion of two-day food records. Over 87% of the survey participants consumed their noon meal at the nutrition centers three or more days a week. While blood pressure tended to be lower with higher calcium intakes, the blood pressure of normotensive and hypertensive individuals did not differ significantly. Measures of body size, body mass index and weight, but not calorie intake, were found to be positively and significantly related to blood pressure. A height and weight analysis indicated 62% of the subjects were above recommended weights for heights. Potassium, calcium, and sodium intakes of normotensive subjects calculated from food records were positively correlated with the respective mineral intakes estimated from the survey. In study B, comparisons of taste preference for sodium in tomato juice and heated beef bouillon with urinary sodium excretion were measured in hypertensive and normotensive elderly subjects. Mean sodium taste preference values and urinary sodium excretion of the two groups did not differ. However, when subjects were ranked according to sodium preference, hypertensive preferred a higher level of sodium in tomato juice than did normotensive persons. This difference approached significance (p < .07). In study C, a workshop dealing with dietary management of hypertension was presented to managers of nutrition centers. Pre- and post-test evaluations, based partly on reactions to videotaped dramatizations, indicated a significant increase in knowledge for 11 out of 14 questions (79%) and a corresponding improvement in nutrition attitude (p < 0.0001). Managers responded positively to the use of the videotape and 75% reported using the workshop material during a 5-month followup period.
Subject Area
Nutrition
Recommended Citation
STANEK, KAYE L, "BLOOD PRESSURE OF ELDERLY PERSONS AND MODIFICATION OF DIETARY PRACTICES IN RELATION TO SODIUM STATUS, POTASSIUM, AND CALCIUM INTAKE (HYPERTENSION)" (1986). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI8624616.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI8624616