Objective  To investigate the awareness of Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2007) (hereinafter "dietary guidelines (2007)") and the dietary intake of patients in elderly patients with ischemic stroke in China, and provide evidence for dietary guidance and health management.

  Methods  The ischemic stroke patients aged ≥65 years were selected from the project of Chinese adult chronic disease and nutritional surveillance (2015). Questionnaire and semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) were used to investigate the awareness rate of the dietary guidelines and the dietary nutrition status in the past year in the elderly patients with ischemic stroke and analyze the dietary status of the elderly patients with ischemic stroke in urban and rural areas.

  Results  The awareness rate of the dietary guidelines(2007) in the elderly ischemic stroke patients was 12.47% in China, which was 18.75% in urban patients and 6.07% in rural patients. The awareness rate of dietary guidelines(2007) in urban patients was higher than that in rural patients (P<0.001). Among the patients who knew the dietary guidelines(2007), the awareness rate of the recommended intake of edible salt was 67.47%, and the awareness rate of the recommended intake of edible oil was 30.12%. The awareness rate of the recommended intake of edible salt and edible oil in rural patients were lower than those in urban patients (P=0.021, P=0.046). The frequency of fresh vegetable intake of more than 3 times a day was 19.46% in the elderly patients with ischemic stroke, and 31.24% of the patients consumed fresh fruit more than once a day, 23.37% and 14.65% patients consumed milk and beans more than once a day, respectively. The intake of staple food in rural stroke patients was higher than the Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2016) (hereinafter "dietary guidelines (2016)") recommended. Intakes of tuber legumes, vegetables, fruits, and dairy products were inadequate according to the dietary guidelines (2016), with the rural patients having lower intake compared with the urban patients (P<0.05).

  Conclusion  The awareness rate of the dietary guidelines(2007) in elderly patients with ischemic stroke in China was low, and the awareness rate of dietary guidelines(2007) in urban patients was higher than in rural patients. In rural area, the proportion of over intake of staple food was relatively high, while the intake frequencies of vegetables, fruits, beans, aquatic products and dairy food were low, resulting in insufficient intakes of these foods, which was more obvious compared with urban area.