本研究目的在了解65歲以上老年癌症病人飲食營養知識、態度與飲食禁忌行為之現況。為橫斷式研究設計(cross-sectional design)，以結構式問卷進行面對面的調查訪談，內容包括：個人基本資料、營養知識、態度與飲食行為問卷，共148人之資料進行分析。結果發現：（1）老年癌症病人飲食營養知識欠佳，尤其是對「疾病與飲食營養的關係」方面知識最缺乏；（2）對於飲食中各類食物每日需要量的認知偏向低估，尤其蛋白質的來源與需求量認知嚴重不足。（3）多不認同坊間流傳的食品保健說法，具有正面的進食及選食態度。(4)比一般老年人呈現更強烈的飲食禁忌態度，多數認為應盡量吃天然食物，避免酸、辣等刺激性的食物，且篤信一般民間流傳的傳統飲食禁忌(如冰冷、寒的食物)。（5）幾乎所有老年癌症病人都規律進食三餐，但少有補充點心的習慣，所以餐點營養密度的提昇也是對患者重要的營養建議方向之一。（6）飲食營養知識、態度與教育程度有顯著相關。（7）43.2%的老年癌症患者的營養訊息來自於營養師。（8）尋求營養訊息的自我效能與飲食營養知識、營養訊息的來源及用餐陪伴呈現顯著正相關。
本研究結果建議，對於老年癌症病人，營養教育扮演重要角色，而擬定營養教育計畫需考慮對於教育程度較低者提昇注意力與誘發學習動機，同時也將照顧者與其他家屬納入營養教育的對象，使老年癌症病人獲得良好的營養照顧。
The purpose of this cross-sectional study is to investigate the nutritional knowledge and attitudes of the elderly with cancer at age over 65 and their dietary restriction behaviors. Through structured questionnaires that were completed by face-to-face interviews, the data were collected from 148 elderly cancer patients in a regional teaching hospital in South Taiwan. The questions in questionnaires included personal information, nutrition knowledge, nutrition attitude and eating behavior.
The results indicated that：(1) The elderly with cancer had poor nutrition knowledge, especially about the relationship between nutrition and disease. (2) They underestimated the daily requirement of each group of food, especially the source of protein. (3) Most of them disagreed with misconceptions about "healthy" or functional foods and also took quite positive attitudes towards choosing and eating food. (4) The elderly with cancer took strong attitudes towards dietary restrictions. Most of them think they should eat natural foods and avoid spicy and stimulus food (e.g. "sour" foods, "pungent" foods), and obey Chinese traditional food-texture-related dietary restrictions (e.g. "cold" foods). (5) Most of them eat regularly three meals a day, but few of them they have habits to eat snacks. Therefore, it is very important to improve the nutrition density of the diet. (6) Nutrition knowledge and attitudes were significantly related to educational background. (7) 43.2% of the elderly with cancer obtain nutrition information from dietitians. (8) Nutrition knowledge was significantly related to information source, self-efficacy of information seeking and possibility of information seeking.
This study suggests that nutrition education is very important for the elderly with cancer, and when designing such nutrition education programs, it is necessary to consider how to draw attention and trigger motivation of the elderly who have low educational background. The care givers and family members of the elderly with cancer may also be involved in the programs so as to help them acquire good nutritional care.
