Eating habits of elderly Vietnamese in the United States

A sample of 62 elderly from the Vietnamese Senior Citizens Association responded to a 24-hour dietary recall interview regarding their eating habits and food preferences in order to examine their health status. Results indicated that one-fifth of those sampled had milk at breakfast. The majority of elderly still consumed rice at both lunch and supper, and 94 percent did not snack. Thirty-one percent took vitamin supplements. The health problems most frequently mentioned were anemia, arthritis, hypertension, and diabetes. Research on food habits and diet in relation to diseases of this ethnic group is much needed.