Danielle St-Arnaud-McKenzie, Université de Montréal

Hunger and aversion: Drives that influence food intake of hospitalized geriatric patients

Loss of appetite is frequently reported by hospitalized elderly patients. This condition affects their food consumption, and may ultimately lead to weight loss, prolonged hospitalization, and increased risk of death. Ms. St-Arnaud-McKenzie's research determined how hunger and aversion, two drives that shape appetite, influence meal consumption in these patients.

Her study took place in a hospital ward's dining room. Before each meal, the participants reported on their feelings of hunger and aversion toward the meal. After the meal, she measured how much they had eaten. This was done for 32 patients, three meals per day, every other day until the patients' discharge.

Her results suggest that both hunger and aversion impact patient's meal consumption. The effect of aversion was more prominent in men, in patients with light cognitive deterioration and in the healthier patients. According to her interventions, to help curb feelings of aversion in these patients could improve food consumption.

Her research interests concern the food behavior of the elderly and its role in maintaining health. Besides contributing to her training as a researcher, this project provided opportunities to establish collaborations with researchers in fields outside nutrition such as marketing, geriatrics, and psychology.

Ms. St-Arnaud-McKenzie is currently finishing her doctoral dissertation. Next, she will be involved in a post-doctoral project at the Université de Sherbrooke, for which she has been awarded a FormSaV fellowship. As part of the large-scale NuAge study on nutrition and successful aging in Québec, her project will investigate the insidious changes in food behavior that may precede the onset of frailty in the elderly.