Hydration health literacy in the elderly.

Autor: Picetti D; Reynolds Institute on Aging, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA., Foster S; Reynolds Institute on Aging, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA., Pangle AK; Reynolds Institute on Aging, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA., Schrader A; Reynolds Institute on Aging, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA., George M; Reynolds Institute on Aging, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA., Wei JY; Reynolds Institute on Aging, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA., Azhar G; Reynolds Institute on Aging, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Nutrition and healthy aging [Nutr Healthy Aging] 2017 Dec 07; Vol. 4 (3), pp. 227-237. Date of Electronic Publication: 2017 Dec 07.
DOI: 10.3233/NHA-170026
Abstrakt: Background: Inadequate hydration in the elderly is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. However, few studies have addressed the knowledge of elderly individuals regarding hydration in health and disease. Gaps in health literacy have been identified as a critical component in health maintenance, and promoting health literacy should improve outcomes related to hydration associated illnesses in the elderly.
Methods: We administered an anonymous survey to community-dwelling elderly ( n  = 170) to gauge their hydration knowledge.
Results: About 56% of respondents reported consuming >6 glasses of fluid/day, whereas 9% reported drinking ≤3 glasses. About 60% of respondents overestimated the amount of fluid loss at which moderately severe dehydration symptoms occur, and 60% did not know fever can cause dehydration. Roughly 1/3 were not aware that fluid overload occurs in heart failure (35%) or kidney failure (32%). A majority of respondents were not aware that improper hydration or changes in hydration status can result in confusion, seizures, or death.
Conclusions: Overall, our study demonstrated that there were significant deficiencies in hydration health literacy among elderly. Appropriate education and attention to hydration may improve quality of life, reduce hospitalizations and the economic burden related to hydration-associated morbidity and mortality.
Databáze: MEDLINE
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