The Risk and The Prevalence of Malnutrition in Elderly Home-care Patients

The risk and the prevalence of Malnutrition in elderly home-care patients Objective: The elderly are more susceptible to undernourishment, and those receiving home-care services have a higher prevalence of malnutrition. The study aimed to determine the prevalence of the community-dwelling elderly with malnutrition and those at risk of malnutrition enrolled in the home healthcare system. Method: A cross-sectional, descriptive study was conducted using the Mini-Nutritional Assessment short-form among community-dwelling elderly home-care patients living in Adana, Turkey. Individuals the age of 65 and over and receiving home-care services were included. Patients were interviewed once at his or her residence individually, and on-site MNA questionnaires were completed. Results: Among the 321 patients included in the analysis, 126 were malnourished (39.25%), and 132 were at risk of malnutrition (41.12%). The mean MNA-SF was 8.28±3.36. There was a strong association between malnutrition and literacy, with a third of the study group found to be illiterate (n=108, 33.64%, p=0.001). Conclusion: The study showed that the majority of the patients were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. Implementation of nutritional screening and interventions focusing on malnutrition might be required in home-care services.