Nutrition and older Indigenous Australians: Service delivery implications in remote communities. A narrative review

Objective: To describe the nutritional status of older Indigenous people, barriers to achieving optimal nutrition, and the effectiveness of programs aimed at improving nutrition in older Indigenous people in remote communities. Methods: A comprehensive literature review was undertaken utilising electronic databases Scopus, CINAHL, Informit, Ovid MEDLINE, ProQuest, Web of Knowledge, PsycINFO, ATSI HealthInfoNet and Google Scholar. Grey literature was also accessed. Results: Findings indicated there is a scarcity of representative data on nutritional status and risk in older Indigenous people, and nutrition support programs have not been evaluated. Conclusions: Older Indigenous people suffer from poorer overall health and higher levels of overweight and obesity, and are at increased risk of poor nutritional status and malnutrition than the general population. This risk may be higher in remote areas. More representative data are needed to determine the nutritional status of older Indigenous people, including levels of malnutrition. Support programs also need to be evaluated.