Eating Behaviors and Health History of Rural Midlife to Older Women in the Midwestern United States

This study was conducted to examine daily energy, food group, and nutrient intakes of late midlife to older women living in the rural Midwestern United States compared with recommended intakes for the US population, and to describe their physical measures and health history. Random-digit dialing was used to recruit 225 community-dwelling women aged 50 to 69 years from a rural Midwestern area of the United States. Participants completed online food intake and health history surveys. Nearly half of the women had energy intakes in excess of their Estimated Energy Requirement. Mean daily servings of fruits, grains, and dairy products were below target levels identified in the 2000 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Mean calcium and dietary fiber intakes were below recommended levels, while percent calories from fat (39.0%±6.8%) were well above recommendations. Eighty percent were overweight or obese and 76% were prehypertensive or hypertensive, yet only 33.5% indicated their health care provider had discussed dietary factors with them in the previous year. Late midlife and older rural Midwestern women, aged 50 to 69 years, need more guidance than they currently receive to learn how to make changes to meet dietary recommendations, particularly with a focus on establishing a more healthful dietary pattern that will be suitable for their older years.