CHSU Discovery

Abstract

Poor nutritional knowledge Incorrect Correct is a key barrier to chronic self-disease management among adults aged 65 and older. Food insecurity compounds this challenge, disproportionately affecting older adults with chronic conditions and limiting their ability to make informed dietary choices. While educational interventions have been shown to improve nutritional knowledge and dietary behavior, elderly patients face additional barriers, including food insecurity, limited cooking skills or capability, social isolation, and inadequate communication with healthcare providers. This project aimed to improve carbohydrate literacy among participants in the Golden Valley Health Centers (GVHC) Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). PACE supports older adults with existing health conditions to continue to live safely in the community by providing long-term interdisciplinary services. The carbohydrate tip sheet (Figure 1) was distributed in both English and Spanish, was written at a 5 th -grade reading level, and included visual examples. Our goal was to achieve a 50% increase in PACE participants' nutritional knowledge as measured by pre- and post-surveys assessing understanding of carbohydrates and their role in chronic health conditions.