Abstract

Background: Older adults are more vulnerable to malnutrition and multiple nutritional deficiencies due to several age-related physiological and functional changes. The prevalence of malnutrition among institutionalized elderly is estimated to be between 30%–60%; therefore, accurate nutritional assessment is important for both effective diagnosis and intervention of comprehensive treatment plans for older people.

Objective: To assess the nutritional status of institutionalized elderly female in Riyadh city, and to explore the association between their nutritional statuses and other determinants such as their mobility status and mood of feeding.

Method: Cross-sectional study of 38 females aged 60 years and over who currently resident at the Social Welfare Home for Elderly Females in Riyadh/ Saudi Arabia. Anthropometric/biochemical data, medications, and length of residency were retrieved form medical records of the resident. Nutritional status was assessed using Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) tool.

Results: More than 94% of the residents were malnourished or at risk of developing malnutrition. Twenty one percent of the resident were underweight (BMI below 18.5 kg/m²) and 60% of them were categorized as overweight/obese (BMI above 25 kg/m²). Significantly greater percentage of malnourished residents were dependent for mobility (p < 0.001) or require assistant during feeding (p = 0.023). Physical dependency was an independent predictor of the nutritional status among our sample (β=2.375; SE 0.800; p = 0.006).

Conclusion: According to several nutritional assessment methods, the majority of institutionalized elderly females at the Social Welfare Home for Elderly Females in Riyadh were malnourished or at risk of developing malnutrition. This study underlines the association between nutritional status and physical dependencies among this age group. Strategies for effective nutritional care should be implemented for institutionalized older adults to treat and prevent the malnutrition and to improve the quality of life for them.

Keywords: Nutritional Status; Malnutrition; Nutritional Assessment; Institutionalized Elderly; Geriatric Assessment

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Citation

Citation: Maha Al Turki., et al. “Prevalence of Geriatric Malnutrition in Long Term Care Center in Riyadh/Saudi Arabia: A Cross Sectional Study".Acta Scientific Nutritional Health 5.2 (2021): 11-17.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2021 Maha Al Turki., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.