Abstract
This research assessed nutritional risk and diet quality in 65 older adults from the Tunibamba community belonging to the Cotacachi canton. It was a descriptive, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach. A survey was used to obtain information on sociodemographic characteristics and evaluate nutritional risk by applying the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) screening tool, for which anthropometric measurements were taken (weight, height, arm circumference, and calf circumference) and 24-hour reminder to assess diet quality. Among the results, it was highlighted that the majority of the sample was established in the thin range with a BMI < 23 kg/m2, weight of 48.56 ± 9.38 kg, height of 145.17 ± 8.64 cm, a brachial circumference of 22.57 ± 3.01 cm and a calf circumference of 29.13 ± 3.04 cm, indicating a decrease in muscle mass and protein reserves. 61.5% are at risk of malnutrition, while 38.5% present malnutrition. The daily caloric intake was found to be well below the recommended, with an average of 755.83 ± 348.42 observed. It was concluded that there is a statistically significant relationship between the percentage of energy and macronutrient adequacy using the Chi-square and Fisher exact tests. Energy with a significance of p=0.004, for carbohydrates a significance of p=<0.001, for protein p=0.017 and for fats p=0.025, indicating that a percentage of normal adequacy or overfeeding provided less malnutrition.
Published Version
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