RELATIONSHIP OF MASTICATION CAPABILITY AND NUTRITION STATUS OF ELDERLY BUGINESE AND MANDARNESE

HUBUNGAN KEMAMPUAN PENGUNYAHAN DENGAN STATUS GIZI LANJUT USIA PADA SUKU BUGIS DAN MANDAR

Abstract

The effect of mastication disorder in elderly caused difficulty in chewing hard or tough food leads to change eating pattern
to softer food. As a result, the tendency to eat softer, prepared, fast food, sugar, carbohydrate and soda is increased. This
study aimed to find out the relationship of mastication capability to nutrition status in elderly Buginese and Mandarnese,
and the difference of diets between both cultures as adaptability to food pattern and eating habit. Four hundred subjects
taken using purposive sampling, sample aged 55 years old and above, nutrition status was taken directly (anthropometric)
BB/TB2 and mastication capability taken with custom questioner along with scoring value. The result showed that elderly
Buginese had 64.9% with poor nutrition status caused by poor mastication capability, mastication capability and nutrition
status in elderly Buginese had significant relation (p=0.04), while elderly Mandarnese had 39.8% with poor nutrition
status caused by poor mastication capability, but statistically, the relation between mastication capability with nutrition
status in elderly Mandarnese was not significant (p=0.076). As conclusion there was significant relationship between
mastication capability and nutrition status in Buginese and Mandarnese, and mastication capability and nutrition status of
Mandarnese were better than Buginese.