Nutritional status of institutionalized Venezuelan elderly
Rodríguez, N.; Hernández, R.; Herrera, Héctor.; Barbosa, J.; Hernández-Valera, Y.
Investigacion Clinica 46(3): 219-228
2005
ISSN/ISBN: 0535-5133 PMID: 16152778 Document Number: 585539
In this study, the nutritional state of 126 institutionalized elderly subjects aged 60-95 years from the metropolitan area of Caracas, Venezuela, were evaluated using the Mini-Nutritional Assessment Scale. Of the evaluated subjects, 5.6% were malnourished, 48.4% were at risk for nutritional problems, and 46% were in fairly good nutritional state. More elderly women than men presented with nutritional problems. Both elderly men and women over 80 years had a higher prevalence of malnutrition than their younger respective counterparts. A low daily fluid intake, a BMI of <=23 kg/m2, and a limited physical activity were risk factors for malnutrition among the evaluated subjects. The high prevalence of malnutrition risk in this study population emphasize the importance of a simple and non-invasive instrument for measuring nutritional adequacy among elderly subjects.