Background: Malnutrition is highly prevalent among the elderly and is associated with poor clinical prognosis, decreased functional status, and increased morbidity and mortality.
Objective: To estimate the prevalence of geriatric malnutrition among outpatients of a geriatric clinic and to determine factors associated with malnutrition.
Design: Cross-sectional study.
Setting: Geriatric outpatient clinic of the King Abdul Aziz University Hospital, Jeddah.
Patients and methods: All patients older than 60 years of age who attended the clinic during January 2016 were eligible for inclusion. Nutritional status was assessed using anthropometric data and by hemoglobin and albumin levels and lymphocyte count. The MNA was used to define malnutrition.
Main outcome measures: Anthropometric measures, biochemical tests, and the scores on the short version of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA).
Results: According to the MNA results, 8 (5.3%) of 152 elderly patients suffered overt malnutrition and 50 (32.9%) were at risk of malnutrition (71 males and 41 females; aged 72.4 [8.6] years). The prevalence of malnutrition was significantly higher among females (44.6%; 95% CI, 1.01-4.08; P=.044) than in males (28.3%). Malnourished patients were older than patients with normal nutritional status (mean 72.4 [8.6] years), and more common in patients who lived alone (62.5%). The malnourished patients had significantly smaller calf circumferences (63.4; 95% CI, 1.51-3.20; P=.001), and lower albumin and hemoglobin levels (P=.001). A significantly higher percentage of the malnourished patients compared with normal patients had experienced weight loss (37.9%; P < .001) and decreased food intake (56.9%; P < .001) during the previous three months. Binary logistic regression revealed that being female and living alone were significant predictors for being categorized as malnourished or at risk of malnutrition.
Conclusion: The prevalence of malnutrition is high among geriatric outpatients. Routine screening for malnutrition among geriatric patients would allow early diagnosis and prompt intervention.
Limitations: The heterogeneity of the study group (different diseases at different stages) could influence the generalizability of our findings. The relatively small number of patients (P=.002) is a potential limitation.