Use of the Nutrition Screening Initiative to Target and Guide Nutrition Education Efforts in Nevada

Abstract

The goal of the Nutrition Screening Initiative (NSI) is to identify individuals who are at high risk of poor nutritional status - for whom more in-depth assessment/intervention is indicated. Implementation of the NSI in Nevada included screening elderly who participate in Senior Nutrition Programs and providing nutrition education to elderly who were at risk for poor nutritional status. Participants of Nevada's congregate/home-delivered meal programs were screened using the “DETERMINE Your Nutritional Health Checklist,” developed by the NSI coalition. The mean age of those screened (n=2044) was 74.4 years (SD=10.3), 76% were Caucasian, 64% were female, 54% lived in rural areas, and 22% reported household income at or below the poverty guideline. Polypharmacy (40%), social isolation (37%) and dietary modifications (37%) were predominant risk factors. Similar to screening results in other states, 25% (n=503) were at high risk for poor nutrition and 30% (n=620) were at moderate risk (based on NSI criteria). Household income, ethnicity, age, and mobility were related to risk status (p<.05). No differences were found between males and females or those living in urban or rural areas. The degree of nutrition education effort was then based on risk and geographic residence. Elders at high risk residing in medically-underserved, rural areas received the most intensive which included meeting individually with a registered dietitian. Results of NSI's DETERMINE and Nutrition Counseling Checklists guided the content of these educational sessions. In conclusion, the NSI was useful in identifying sub-groups of Nevada's elderly at risk for poor nutrition and guiding related educational efforts.