Revisiting the concept of malnutrition in older people
- 5 April 2007
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Journal of Clinical Nursing
- Vol. 16 (11), 2015-2026
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2006.01867.x
Abstract
Aim. The aim of this study is to revisit the concept of malnutrition in older people, trace the new development and test the use of refined framework with empirical data. Background. Malnutrition in older people is a common and significant problem worldwide. Continuing Chen's earlier work in 2001, a refinement was conducted and a prospective study was designed to test the use of this refined framework. Design. A cohort study of 114 hospitalized older patients in Northern Taiwan. Methods. The sample consists of 114 older patients aged 65 years and older, who were admitted for the cardiac and orthopaedic services at a tertiary 2300‐bed hospital. From March to August 2004, assessed by one trained nurse, participants completed a structured face‐to‐face interview evaluating their age, visual/hearing impairments, oral health, cognitive status, comorbidities, medication use, social economic status, functional status, social support, depressive symptoms and nutritional status within 48 hours of admission. Participants who stayed >5 days were reassessed before discharge (n = 70). The data from admission were the main focus of this report. Results. Regression analysis revealed that that more medication taken, female gender, lower functional status (beta = 0·34, P < 0·001) and higher depressive symptoms were independent predictors of poor nutritional status, with the full model accounting for 48·2% of the variance. The result is in‐line with the original theoretical underpinnings and it suggests that this refined framework detailing sub‐concepts and measurable indices appears to fit the empirical data and suitable for clinical use. Conclusion. The findings lend support to the use of this framework in managing malnutrition in older people. Relevance to clinical practice. Nurses have an essential role in providing care for older people a framework like this would provide a road map guiding the intervention efforts.Keywords
This publication has 44 references indexed in Scilit:
- Change in Sensory Functioning Predicts Change in Cognitive Functioning: Results from a 6‐Year Follow‐Up in the Maastricht Aging StudyJournal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2005
- The Relationship Between Number of Medications and Weight Loss or Impaired Balance in Older AdultsJournal of the American Geriatrics Society, 2004
- Social isolation, support, and capital and nutritional risk in an older sample: ethnic and gender differencesSocial Science & Medicine, 2004
- Identifying the elderly at risk for malnutrition: The Mini Nutritional AssessmentClinics in Geriatric Medicine, 2002
- Gender Differences in Nutritional Risk Among Older Rural AdultsJournal of Applied Gerontology, 2000
- Gender difference in the effect of body composition on energy metabolismInternational Journal of Obesity, 1999
- Functional Status Outcomes of a Nursing Intervention in Hospitalized ElderlyImage: the Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 1992
- Demographical, sociomedical and physical characteristics in relation to malnutrition in geriatric patientsJournal of Advanced Nursing, 1991
- A Brief Measure of Social Support: Practical and Theoretical ImplicationsJournal of Social and Personal Relationships, 1987
- Development and validation of a geriatric depression screening scale: A preliminary reportJournal of Psychiatric Research, 1983