Using social network theory to explore nutrition risk in community-dwelling older adults in Canada

One-third of Canadians over the age of 65 who live in the community (that is, they do not live in a long-term care home or are not hospitalized) are at increased nutrition risk, the risk of poor food and beverage intake. The consequences of increased nutrition risk include increased frailty, decreased quality of life, increased hospitalization, and higher mortality rates. Many changes to social networks occur with aging that can affect dietary intake and therefore nutrition risk, such as living situation, participation in community activities, and having support. While there have been many studies examining the social network factors associated with nutrition risk status, there is a lack of studies investigating the social network factors associated with changes in nutrition risk. This study therefore aims at discovering the social network factors associated with nutrition risk and changes in nutrition risk using data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.