, Guide for Elderly People in Institutions This study was approved by the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Research and Ethics Committee.ĭevelopment of flipchart, booklet and placematsĪn extensive literature review on available nutrition education packages and dietary guidelines in Malaysia including the Malaysian Dietary Guidelines We hypothesised that an education package that was developed based on needs of the community would be well accepted by both health professionals and older adults. This manuscript will present the developmental aspects of the package and analysis of its acceptance among health professionals and older people. Previously, authors reported the needs assessment findings from this study This is an action research study with the aim of facilitating change in a particular community and program. Thus, the aim of this study was to develop a nutrition education package about healthy ageing and reducing the risk of chronic diseases for implementation at health clinics in a rural area of Malaysia. However, a nutrition component is plainly lacking. has developed a series of educational materials, including some for older adults. The Family Health Division of the Ministry of Health of Malaysia Therefore, development of an appropriate nutrition education package could be effective in improving the quality of dietary intake and lifestyle of older adults in Malaysia. These facts must be considered when developing and evaluating suitable educational print materials for patients and their families Illiteracy is widespread but often a hidden problem, and those with the lowest literacy rates also have the poorest health status. indicated that older adults had lower nutritional knowledge scores than others. A recent study among adults with diabetes at a government health clinic However, the nutritional knowledge of older adults Lifestyle and dietary changes should be advocated to curb the rise of such diseases. As in other rapidly developing countries, the prevalence of chronic diseases among the Malaysian population is on the rise, with the highest prevalence among those age 50 years and older A similar trend has been noted for obesity

However, the prevalence of overweight decreased with age from 35.63% (age 60-64 years) to 12.64% (80+ years).

Obesity increased more than three-fold from 3.1% in 1996 to 10.9% in 2006.

Within a decade, the prevalence of overweight among Malaysian older people doubled from 15.6% in 1996 to 29.8% in 2006. Tackling nutritional issues among older adults in Malaysia is a challenge because of both undernutrition and overnutrition, with half of these adults being illiterate

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