摘要：Background and Objective: To maintain good health, older people must fulfill their nutritional needs. This study examined energy and nutrient intake among Thai older workers who were engaged in either informal or formal employment. Materials and Methods: A total of 303 Thai older workers aged 45-70 years from urban and suburban areas of Nakhon Si Thammarat province in southern Thailand were recruited using multistage random sampling. Data on dietary intake were collected with three24 h dietary recalls. The prevalence of inadequacy was estimated using the Thai Dietary Reference Intakes (Thai DRIs). Results: Of the total, 83.17 and 16.83% were classified as informal and formal workers, respectively. For men, the median iron intake of the formal workers was adequate, at 100.2% of the Thai DRIs but was significantly lower in the informal workers (p = 0.032). Overall, compliance with the recommendations was low: only 2.64, 6.60, 5.94, 3.96, 4.95, 0.99 and 4.95% of the older workers complied with the Thai DRIs for dietary fiber, calcium, vitamin A , vitamin B6, vitamin B12, magnesium and zinc, respectively, while none of the participants complied with the recommended vitamin E intake. Daily sodium intake was greater than the recommended (<2,400 mg) in 44.44 and 50.98% of the informal and formal workers, respectively. Conclusion: Low compliance with dietary recommendations among older workers calls for the government's intensified effort to formulate effective measures involving the development of health promotion interventions and the contribution of equitable access to healthy food. This study identified the determinants that may be used to guide this effort.
