A Comparison between Dietary Consumption Status and Healthy Dietary Pattern among Adults Aged 55 and Older in China

The nutrition and health of middle-aged and elderly people is crucial to the long-term development of a country. The present study aimed to analyze the dietary consumption status in Chinese adults by using baseline and follow-up data from the community-based Cohort Study on Nervous System Diseases between 2018–2020 and selecting those aged 55 and older (n = 23,296). Dividing 65 food items into 17 subgroups on the basis of a valid semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire, we analyze the consumption amount and consumption rate of foods in relation to wave and sociodemographic factors by employing the Wilcoxon rank sum test, Kruskal–Wallis analysis, the Chi-squared test, and the Cochran–Armitage trend test and evaluate food intake status using the Chinese Dietary Guidelines Recommendations (2022). Compared to 2018, the median daily intake of livestock meat, poultry, and eggs increased in 2020 (p < 0.05), while the median daily intake of wheat, other cereals, tubers, legumes, fruits, and fish and seafood decreased (p < 0.05). The proportion of subjects with excessive intake of grain, livestock and poultry, and eggs was 46.3%, 36.6%, and 26.6%, respectively, while the proportion of subjects with insufficient intake of whole grains and mixed beans, tubers, legumes, dairy products, fruits, vegetables, and fish and seafood were 98.4%, 80.3%, 74.0%, 94.6%, 94.3%, 75.8%, and 86.5%, respectively, and more than 50% of subjects were non-consumers of dairy products, nuts, and whole grains and mixed beans. In conclusion, the problem of unhealthy dietary structure is prominent among adults aged 55 and older in China; insufficient or excessive intakes of various types of foods are common; and excessive consumption of edible oil and salt remains a serious problem.