Psychological attributes predict dietary pattern transitions in older adults: Evidence from a national longitudinal study on healthy aging.
BACKGROUND Dietary patterns are important determinants of health in older adults, yet little is known about how psychological attributes influence changes in dietary patterns over time. OBJECTIVES This study aimed to identify dietary pattern classes in Chinese older adults and to examine whether psychological attributes-specifically anxiety and cognitive function-predict transitions in dietary patterns over time. METHODS Longitudinal data from the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey (CLHLS) were used. We conducted latent transition analysis (LTA) to analyze the transition in dietary patterns of 3181 older adults, with a mean age of 81.11 years at T1 (2014) and 84.97 years at T2 (2018). RESULTS LTA identified four classes of dietary patterns at T1-mono-diet, vegetarian diet, high protein diet, and diversified diet. The class results were consistent at T2. The diversified diet group had the lowest level of anxiety and the highest level of cognitive function among the four dietary groups at both waves. Longitudinally, the LTA results showed that anxiety and cognitive function played a moderating role in the transition of dietary patterns. CONCLUSIONS Anxiety and cognitive function were associated with transitions in dietary patterns in Chinese older adults. These findings highlight the critical role of psychological attributes in shaping dietary behavior over time, with implications for targeted interventions promoting healthy aging.