Assessment of nutritional status of the geriatric patients attending the outpatient department of an urban health training centre: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background: Older persons are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition and it is very difficult to provide them with adequate nutrition. As the age increases, energy requirement per kilogram body weight is reduced. Thus, People belonging to the older age group are at risk for malnutrition because of the evident physical changes related to aging and numerous psychological and social factors such as depression, lack of independence and limited income.Methods: A cross- sectional study was conducted in the Outpatient Department of an urban health training centre. A total of 351 participants were included (154 men and 197 women) aged 65 years and above. The nutritional status of participants was assessed using the mini-nutritional assessment tool.Results: Out of 351 elderly patients, only 25% were observed to be well-nourished, 58.6% were at the risk of malnutrition and around 16.2% of the elderly patients were malnourished. A significant association was found between nutritional status and older age groups, female gender, dependent financial status and inadequate dietary intake.Conclusions: According to this study, the risk of malnutrition among the elderly is very high. It depicts that malnutrition can be a result of many factors and thus, this problem should be solved through health education to the elderly and their families by which diet and lifestyle of this section of our population can be improved.