MPR interviewed 55 state units on aging and a random sample of program participants, nonparticipants and agencies. MPR conducted four sets of telephone surveys with administrative agencies, including telephone interviews with the directors or designated staff of state units on aging, area agencies on aging, tribal organizations and nutrition projects. Primary data collection also involved in-person surveys of directors of meal sites, program participants, and eligible nonparticipants. Program Outcomes People who receive ENP meals have higher daily intakes of key nutrients than similar nonparticipants. ENP meals provide approximately 40 to 50 percent of participants' daily intakes of most nutrients.
Participants have more social contacts per month than similar nonparticipants.
Most participants are satisfied with the services the ENP provides. Between 80 and 90 percent of participants have incomes below 200 percent of the DHHS poverty level, which is twice the rate for the overall elderly population in the United States. More than twice as many Title III participants live alone, compared with the overall elderly population. Title III home-delivered participants have more than twice as many physical impairments, compared with the overall elderly population. Funding ENP expenditures are highly leveraged by state, tribal, local, and other federal funding and services and are also augmented by donations from participants.