M. Nydahl*, J. Andersson*, B. Sidenvall**, K. Gustafsson**, C. Fjellström*

*Department of Domestic Sciences, Uppsala university. **Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Uppsala University. Correspondence: Margaretha Nydahl, Department of Domestic Sciences, Uppsala university, Dag Hammarskjölds väg 21, S-752 37 Uppsala, Sweden. E-mail: Margaretha.Nydahl@IHV.UU.Se

BACKGROUND: With the increasing numbers of elderly women living at home, there is an interest to investigate the dietary intake of this group. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the food and nutrient intake in a group of self-managing elderly women in Sweden. DESIGN: A 3-day self-reported food diary and a repeated 24-h dietary recall were used. The study comprised 135 single-living or married/cohabiting women (mean age 79.5±8.0 years). RESULTS: Mean energy intake for the whole group was 6.8±1.9 MJ, and low energy figures were obtained in all age groups indicating some possible under-reporting with a calculated EIrep/BMRest of 1.24 ± 0.36 for the whole group. Overall, energy and nutrient intake was similar in the different age groups (64-68 yrs, 74-78 yrs and 84-88 yrs). Reported intakes of vitamin D (4.8±2.7 Ìg), tocopherol (5.9±2.2 mg), iron (8.5±2.9 mg), folate (200±8.7 Ìg) and selenium (29±11 Ìg) were low compared to recommended intakes. Only minor differences between women in different household types were found. The women reported a variety of food items in their diet. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the results from this study indicate that self-managing elderly women report low energy figures, but have a sufficient intake of most nutrients. However, there is a tendency that the oldest women, i.e. 84-88 yrs have lower intakes.

Keywords: Elderly; self-managing; women, food and nutrient intake.