Oral health-related quality of life, food satisfaction and eating behaviours among community-dwelling older adults in Abha, Saudi Arabia: a cross-sectional study.

چکیده اصلی

OBJECTIVES: To describe socio-demographic and health-related characteristics, eating behaviours, food satisfaction and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) among community-dwelling older adults in Abha, Saudi Arabia; to assess how eating behaviours, food satisfaction and OHRQoL vary across socio-demographic and health-related groups; and to examine how eating behaviours and food satisfaction are associated with OHRQoL, adjusting for socio-demographic and health-related characteristics. DESIGN: A descriptive cross-sectional study. SETTING: Primary healthcare centres (PHCCs) in the Abha district of the Asir region, Saudi Arabia. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 350 older adults aged 60+ were recruited from PHCCs in Abha, Asir Region, Saudi Arabia, using a non-probability convenience sampling. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: The primary outcome measure was OHRQoL, assessed using the Geriatric Oral Health Assessment Index. Secondary outcome measures included food satisfaction, measured by the Satisfaction with Food-Related Life scale and eating behaviours, assessed using the Eating Behaviours Scale-Short Form. RESULTS: Most participants showed fair-to-good eating behaviours (86.6%), moderate-to-high food satisfaction (87.7%) and fair OHRQoL (69.7%). Bivariate analyses revealed that food satisfaction was significantly positively associated with OHRQoL (r=0.517, p<0.001) and weakly negatively associated with eating behaviours (r=-0.185, p<0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis identified food satisfaction as the factor most strongly associated with OHRQoL (β=0.496, p<0.001), followed by oral care practices (β=0.180, p<0.001) and eating behaviours (β=0.177, p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Food satisfaction showed a strong association with OHRQoL, highlighting the psychological dimension of dietary experiences in later life. Although many participants reported favourable eating behaviours and food satisfaction, OHRQoL remained moderate. These findings emphasise the need for integrated, culturally tailored interventions that incorporate nutritional counselling, oral-health promotion and chronic disease management to optimise healthy ageing in this population.

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