부산대학교 도서관

The objective of this study is to clarify the eating characteristics among elderly residents in a nursing home who are self-aware of their rapid eating behaviors and propose a method for preventing such a habit. We evaluated the eating time and number of chewing strokes using a video recording method.The subjects were twenty-four elderly residents in a nursing home. They were interviewed for the self-awareness of rapid eating. The subjects were categorized into two groups in accordance with the self-awareness of rapid eating behaviors; i.e., fast eating group and slow-eating group. We observed the eating behaviors of the elderly using the video observation method, including total chewing time, total muscle activity time, total number of chewing strokes, etc. The analysis of the differences between the fast-eating group and slow-eating group was assessed using the t-test. In addition, a discriminant analysis using the stepwise method was conducted with each measurement item as the independent variable, and the self-awareness of rapid eating behaviors as the dependent variable. Furthermore, the relevant measurement item of each of the two groups was analyzed by Pearson’s correlation coefficient.Significant intergroup differences were observed regarding the total chewing time and total muscle activity time. The discriminant analysis showed significant differencesin the total chewing time and total muscle activity time. The boundary value of the total chewing time in this study was 806 seconds and the determined predictive value was 79.2%. In the fast-eating groups, there was a correlation in relation to the total chewing time and total muscle activity time, total number of chewing strokes, the number of times of putting food into the mouth, and the weight of food remaining in the mouth.As a method for preventing such eating, the elderly was instructed to increase the time of the meal, and increasing the chewing frequency proved effective.