scholarly journals Malnutrition and its risk among Portuguese older adults: Prevalence and underestimation using the short form of the Mini Nutritional Assessment

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui Poínhos ◽  
Bruno M. P. M. Oliveira ◽  
Anzhela Sorokina ◽  
Bela Franchini ◽  
Cláudia Afonso ◽  
...  

AbstractMalnutrition is a serious health problem among older adults. The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) is the most used tool to assess malnutrition among older adults. It was proposed that the Screening section could be used as a short form of the MNA (MNA-SF), but the study of the two forms show a wide range of agreement (71.8 to 93.3% and Cohen's kappa from 0.52 to 0.78). Nevertheless, most of the studies recommend the use of the MNA-SF, but in some this conclusion is not completely congruent with the results. The aims of this work were to study the agreement between the nutritional status classification using the MNA-SF and the MNA-FF among Portuguese older adults living in the community, to compare the scores in each question of the MNA-FF between participants correctly or incorrectly classified using the MNA-SF, and to develop a more sensible version of the MNA-SF. The current study is part of the PRONUTRISENIOR project. Data from 456 older adults (54.2% females) aged 65 to 92 years (mean = 73; SD = 6) living in the community (Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal) were analyzed. The agreement between the two classifications is 82.7%, but Cohen's k shows a weak agreement (weighted k = 0.497; p < 0,001). MNA-SF showed a very low sensitivity (42.6%) detecting participants malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. Participants classified as normal using the MNA-SF despite at risk using the MNA-SF presented lower scores in two items from the Assessment section: number of full meals eaten daily and amount of fluid consumed per day. These two items were included in MNA-SF to obtain an extended short-version (MNA-SF8), which presented a sensitivity of 91.8% (and a specificity of 79.9%). The areas under the ROC curves were 0.858 and 0.929, respectively for MNA-SF and MNA-SF8. The addition of two items to the MNA-SF provides a more sensible tool to detect risk of malnutrition among elderly. These findings suggest that, among the studied population, general eating-related questions regarding (full meals and fluid intake) are relevant to assess malnutrition. Similar studies should be carried out among other populations in order to verify the possibility of their generalization. [The PRONUTRISENIOR project was financed by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants (PT06 – Public Health Initiatives, reference 81NU5).]

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (7) ◽  
pp. 2183
Author(s):  
Aleksandra Kaluźniak-Szymanowska ◽  
Roma Krzymińska-Siemaszko ◽  
Marta Lewandowicz ◽  
Ewa Deskur-Śmielecka ◽  
Katarzyna Stachnik ◽  
...  

Up to 28% of elderly residents in Europe are at risk of malnutrition. As uniform diagnostic criteria for malnutrition have not been formulated, in autumn 2018, the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) presented a consensus on its diagnosis. According to the consensus, the diagnosis of malnutrition requires a positive screening test result for the risk of malnutrition, and the presence of at least one etiologic and one phenotypic criterion. This study aimed to assess the diagnostic performance and accuracy of the Mini Nutritional Assessment—Short Form (MNA-SF) against GLIM criteria. The analysis involved 273 community-dwelling volunteers aged ≥ 60 years. All participants were screened for malnutrition with the MNA-SF questionnaire. Next, the GLIM phenotypic and etiologic criteria were assessed in all subjects. Based on the presence of at least one phenotypic and one etiologic criterion, malnutrition was diagnosed in more than one-third of participants (n = 103, 37.7%). According to the MNA-SF, only 7.3% of subjects had malnutrition, and 28.2% were at risk of malnutrition. The agreement between the MNA-SF score and the GLIM criteria were observed in only 22.3% of the population. The sensitivity and specificity of MNA-SF against the GLIM criteria were fair (59.2% and 78.8%, respectively). The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.77, indicating the fair ability of MNA-SF to diagnose malnutrition. Based on the present study results, the best solution may be an optional replacement of the screening tool in the first step of the GLIM algorithm with clinical suspicion of malnutrition.


2018 ◽  
Vol 78 (3) ◽  
pp. 372-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clare A. Corish ◽  
Laura A. Bardon

Older adults are at risk of protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). PEM detrimentally impacts on health, cognitive and physical functioning and quality of life. Given these negative health outcomes in the context of an ageing global population, the Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life Joint Programming Initiative Malnutrition in the Elderly (MaNuEL) sought to create a knowledge hub on malnutrition in older adults. This review summarises the findings related to the screening and determinants of malnutrition. Based on a scoring system that incorporated validity, parameters used and practicability, recommendations on setting-specific screening tools for use with older adults were made. These are: DETERMINE your health checklist for the community, Nutritional Form for the Elderly for rehabilitation, Short Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire-Residential Care for residential care and Malnutrition Screening Tool or Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form for hospitals. A meta-analysis was conducted on six longitudinal studies from MaNuEL partner countries to identify the determinants of malnutrition. Increasing age, unmarried/separated/divorced status (vs.married but not widowed), difficulties walking 100 m or climbing stairs and hospitalisation in the year prior to baseline or during follow-up predicted malnutrition. The sex-specific predictors of malnutrition were explored within The Irish Longitudinal Study of Ageing dataset. For females, cognitive impairment or receiving social support predicted malnutrition. The predictors for males were falling in the previous 2 years, hospitalisation in the past year and self-reported difficulties in climbing stairs. Incorporation of these findings into public health policy and clinical practice would support the early identification and management of malnutrition.


2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angel G Hilerio Lopez

Malnutrition in the older adult is an ongoing situation in Mexico and is most apparent in individuals that reside in hospitals, nursing homes, and retirement homes. For that reason, it is necessary to evaluate the nutritional status of these adults by means of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and levels of three serum indicators that are commonly ordered when making malnutrition diagnosis. An analytical cross-sectional study was carried out on 100 older adults residing in eldercare facilities. Nutritional status was evaluated by means of the MNA and three serum indicators (albumin, ferritin, and hemoglobin). Descriptive statistics were used to analyze sociodemographic characteristics, and a Student’s t test, based on gender and reference values, was used to compare mean values of the three serum indicators.  A Chi-square test was used to compare proportions in individuals, based on gender, who had normal nutritional status or were malnourished, and who were at-risk of malnutrition.  A One-way ANOVA with Scheffé post hoc test was used to identify the association between serum indicators and nutritional status of older adults. Of the 100 older adults studied, 53% were men and 47% were women. The mean age was 85±0.7 years. According to the MNA, 20% had normal nutritional status, 55% were at-risk of malnutrition, and 25% were malnourished. The mean indicator values were: albumin 4.7±0.04 g/dL, ferritin 74.2±8.7 ng/mL, and hemoglobin 13.0±0.1 g/dL. No significant association was found between serum indicators and each MNA classification; however, when the same indicators were compared between the sexes, hemoglobin showed a significant difference (P=0.037). Women had lower values but those values did not extend beyond the established physiological range for this population. There was a 55% prevalence of risk of malnutrition in the nutritional status of older adults living in Mexican eldercare facilities in a Mexican province and it was even more frequent in women. 


2015 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-60 ◽  
Author(s):  
Derya Sarikaya ◽  
Meltem Halil ◽  
Mehmet Emin Kuyumcu ◽  
Mustafa Kemal Kilic ◽  
Yusuf Yesil ◽  
...  

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2407
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Gkiouras ◽  
Stavros Cheristanidis ◽  
Theopoula D. Papailia ◽  
Maria G. Grammatikopoulou ◽  
Nikolaos Karamitsios ◽  
...  

Although food insecurity has been associated with a disadvantageous socioeconomic status, especially in older adults, its association with comorbidities is less clear. The scope of the present cross-sectional study was to assess the prevalence of food insecurity among older adults and evaluate the association between food insecurity, malnutrition, chronic disease, multimorbidity and healthcare utilization. A total of 121 older adults (mean (standard deviation) age: 72.6 (8.1)) were recruited from a Primary Care Health Center from 10 August 2019 to 10 September 2019. Food insecurity and malnutrition status were assessed by the Household Food Insecurity Access Scale and Mini Nutritional Assessment tool, respectively. Recorded variables included financial, family data and comorbidities. The prevalence of food insecurity in the sample reached 50.4%, with men and older adults malnourished or at risk for malnutrition, exhibiting high risk for food insecurity. Multimorbidity, frequency of health care utilization and medication adherence were not associated with food insecurity, possibly due to the free health services and remunerated medications offered by the Greek government. However, male gender and malnutrition risk were significant predictors of food insecurity in the multiple logistic analyses. This study highlights the need for mainstreaming food insecurity assessment among older adults with comorbidities, especially those at risk for malnutrition.


Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2429
Author(s):  
María Consuelo Velázquez-Alva ◽  
María Esther Irigoyen-Camacho ◽  
María Fernanda Cabrer-Rosales ◽  
Irina Lazarevich ◽  
Isabel Arrieta-Cruz ◽  
...  

This study evaluated the association between nutritional status, depressive symptoms, and the number of prescription drugs taken by older adults living in nursing homes in Mexico City. In a cross-sectional study, 262 participants were subjected to anthropometric and nutritional (Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA)) evaluations; additionally, their depression (Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)) and functional status were assessed. Multiple logistic regression was used for identifying factors associated with the risk of malnutrition/malnourishment. The mean age of participants was 83.1 ± 8.6 years. A total of 59.9% and 21.1% were at risk of malnutrition and malnourished, respectively. With respect to depression, 27.9% of the participants had mild depression, while 11.4% showed severe depression. An inverse correlation between MNA evaluations and depression scores was found (Spearman’s ρ = −0.4624, p < 0.001); residents with a better nutritional status had lower depression scores. Individuals with depressive symptoms were approximately five times more likely to be at risk of malnutrition or malnourished (OR = 5.82, 95% CI = 2.27–14.89) than individuals without depression. Residents taking three or more prescription drugs daily (OR = 1.83, 95% CI = 1.27–2.63, p < 0.001) were more likely to be at risk of malnutrition or malnourished. In summary, poor nutritional status was associated with depression, while the intake of numerous prescription drugs was associated with being at risk of malnutrition or malnourished.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. e033661 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Rita Sousa-Santos ◽  
Cláudia Afonso ◽  
Nuno Borges ◽  
Alejandro Santos ◽  
Patrícia Padrão ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo investigate the coexistence of sarcopenia, frailty, undernutrition and obesity and to identify the factors associated with the cooccurrence of these conditions in an older population.DesignCross-sectional.SettingPortugal.Participants1454 older adults with 65 years or older, from Nutrition UP 65 study.Primary and secondary outcome measuresSarcopenia was identified using the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People 2 guidelines and physical frailty using Fried phenotype. Mini-Nutritional Assessment-Short Form was used to ascertain undernutrition, and obesity was evaluated by body mass index.Results57.3% presented at least one condition, 38.0% were identified with one and 19.3% were identified with two or more conditions. When all preconditions were considered, 95.7% of the older adults presented at least one of these preconditions or conditions. Multinomial logistic regression multivariate analysis revealed that being male (OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.43 to 0.88), being married or in a common-law marriage (OR 0.58; 95% CI 0.40 to 0.84) and having a higher educational level (OR 0.23; 95% CI 0.07 to 0.73) were inversely associated with having two or more conditions, while age >75 years (OR 1.60; 95% CI 1.14 to 2.24), a poor self-perception of health status (OR 5.61; 95% CI 3.50 to 9.01), ≥5 medications (OR 3.11; 95% CI 1.77 to 5.46) and cognitive impairment (OR 1.84; 95% CI 1.37 to 2.48) were directly associated.ConclusionsAlmost three out of five older adults presented at least one of the conditions related to nutritional status, and about one in five had two or more of these occurrences. However, the low coexistence observed between all of these reinforces the need to assess them all individually during the geriatric assessment.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (11) ◽  
pp. e0242152
Author(s):  
Sonia Hammami ◽  
Imen Ghzaiel ◽  
Souha Hammouda ◽  
Nabil Sakly ◽  
Mohamed Hammami ◽  
...  

The present study was undertaken to evaluate serum levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines in Tunisian older adults and to examine the relationships between inflammatory marker levels, geriatric, and biochemical parameters. A cross-sectional study was conducted in a population of Tunisian older adults (N = 141, aged 65 and over). Patients were recruited from the Department of Internal Medicine, Fattouma Bourguiba University Hospital (Monastir, Tunisia) and from a nursing home (Sousse, Tunisia). Comprehensive geriatric assessment, history taking and examination including functional and nutritional assessment were done for each participant. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test was used to measure serum cytokine (TNF-α, IL-8, IL-6) levels. The modified Short Emergency Geriatric Assessment score (SEGAm) were used to classify patients as 51 very-frail, 40 frail, and 50 non-frail. The age of the participants (80 men, 61 women) ranged from 65 to 97 years. Serum levels of TNF-α, IL-8 and C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly higher in very-frail participants compared to frail and non-frail ones. However, no significant differences in IL-6 levels were detected among frailty groups. After adjustment for age, CRP and IL-8 levels remained significantly associated with frailty. Analysis of the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve corresponding to IL-8 showed an area under the curve of 0.7 (p = 0.003; 95% CI [0.58–0.81]) and a predictive threshold of 5.27 pg/ml. Positive correlations were found between frailty score, IL-6, and IL-8 levels. In addition, a significant positive correlation was observed between IL-8 levels and Timed Up and Go test results. However, a negative correlation was observed between Mini Nutritional Assessment Short-Form score, IL-6 and CRP levels, as well as between Activities of Daily Living score and serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6, and CRP. In conclusion, the key findings of this study collectively support a role of pro-inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, CRP, and especially IL-8 in the development of frailty in older adults.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. 83
Author(s):  
Anne Griffin ◽  
Sorcha McGarry ◽  
Caoimhe Moloney ◽  
Rose Galvin

Malnutrition has many associated physiological and psychological consequences for older adults that can result in reduced quality of life, poor disease outcomes and more frequent and longer hospital stays. Early recognition of malnutrition allows for timely intervention and treatment. There are several screening tools for nutrition risk. The most common one for malnutrition developed and validated for older adults is the short-form of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA-SF). It can be completed in just a few minutes and applied in all health care settings. This systematic review and meta-analysis serves to synthesise the totality of evidence regarding the diagnostic accuracy of the MNA-SF tool compared with the full-form of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA-FF) in older adults for the diagnosis of malnutrition in healthcare settings. Systematic searches of five bibliographical databases will be performed and will include the Pubmed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINAHL and Web of Science to identify all studies that validate the MNA-SF for malnutrition among older adults in healthcare settings. Risk of bias will be assessed with the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies-2 tool. Pre-specified MNA-SF scores will be used to identify patients’ risk of malnutrition. Using data from 2x2 tables, studies will be pooled to generate summary estimates of sensitivity and specificity using a bivariate random effects model. The findings of this systematic review of diagnostic accuracy will provide evidence for healthcare professionals to make informed decisions regarding the optimum use of the MNA-SF as a nutrition risk screening tool to identify malnutrition among older people. Registration details: Prospero registration number CRD42019131847


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