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Cholesterol is a soft, fatlike substance that is necessary to build cell membranes.
About 75% of
cholesterol is produced by the liver and other cells in the body, with the other 25% coming from the
foods we eat, specifically animal products. Elevated cholesterol levels in blood can put people at greater
risk for heart disease and stroke. The higher the cholesterol level, the greater the risk.58 A person’s
cholesterol level is affected by certain health conditions such as diabetes, lifestyle, age, and family
history. While we cannot modify our age and family history, we can reduce our risk by engaging in
healthy lifestyle behaviors.58 Dietary factors are associated with 4 of the 10 leading causes of death in
this age group. Many dietary components are involved in the diet–health relationship, but chief among
them is the disproportionate consumption of foods high in fat and added sugars, often at the expense of
foods high in complex carbohydrates and dietary fiber. Limiting sugars, saturated fats, and sodium to the
recommended dietary levels will go a long way in reducing a person’s risk for diabetes, hypertension,
heart disease, and stroke.59 Based on several studies, blood cholesterol levels less than 200 mg/ dL in
middle-aged adults seem to indicate a relatively low risk of coronary heart disease. In contrast, people
with a high total blood cholesterol have twice the risk for heart disease as people with ideal levels.60
Hypercholesterolemia is the term used for high levels of cholesterol in the blood. Like diabetes, the key
to controlling hypercholesterolemia is screening and treatment
A key for keeping these people healthy is to understand that the health status of adults is often
impacted by their current and previous health behaviors, as well as factors such as socioeconomic status
—especially poverty and education level—along with previous influences on their health throughout
their lives (i.e., exposure to violence as a child, childhood health status, etc.). Health behaviors are
complex and heavily influenced by societal factors and an individual’s local community. Consequently, it
is important that community health workers understand that it is not enough to provide health
education to adults about how to change behaviors that they have often exhibited for a significant part
of their lifetime. Policy, systems, and environmental change strategies must also accompany health
education strategies. For example, in order to reverse the obesity epidemic, we must change our
physical and food environments.
The U.S. population is growing older. The number of older adults in America and their
proportion of the total population increased dramatically during the twentieth and early twenty-first
centuries. In 1950, there were 12 million people (8% of the population) aged 65 years, and by 2010, that
number had increased to 40.2 million. This is 13.1% of the U.S. population, over one in every eight
Americans.1 For the first time in U.S. history, a significant number of Americans will achieve older adult
status. We need only to look around us to see the change that is taking place (see Figure 9.1). The
number of gray heads in restaurants, malls, and movie theaters is increasing. Senior centers, retirement
villages, and assisted living facilities are being built in record numbers. And today, more than ever
before, many people belong to multigenerational families, where there are opportunities to develop
long-lasting relationships with parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. There are now families in
which members of three successive generations receive monthly Social Security checks. In the twenty-
first century, the economic, social, and health issues associated with the growing proportion of people
older than age 65 in the United States have become major political concerns. In this chapter, we will
define terminology, describe the demographics, and discuss the special needs of and community service
for the growing older adult population.
Reference: McKenzie

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Cholesterol is a soft, fatlike substance that is necessary to build cell membranes.

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