journal articles
ASSESSMENT OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS OF ELDERLY POPULATIONS IN RURAL MINIA, EGYPT
E.M. Mahfouz, E.S. Mohammed, T.A. Abd El-Rhman
J Aging Res Clin Practice 2013;2(3):300-302
Aim: This study was conducted to identify the magnitude of undernutrition and to determine the associated risk factors among elderly populations in rural Minia, Egypt. Subjects and methods: A cross sectional study was conducted on 350 elderly chosen by systematic random sample in the period from December 2011 till May 2012. An interview administered questionnaire about demographic characteristics of elderly subjects and Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) were carried out. Results: Based on MNA score, 38.3% of participated elderly have malnutrition or are at risk of malnutrition. Elderly females were significantly more likely to be affected by malnutrition than males (9.8% vs 6.6%). Nearly 38% of persons ≥ 80 years were malnourished vs 5.8% of persons in age group 60-69 years (p˂0.001). Malnutrition was higher among elderly persons who had chronic and acute disease. Conclusion: This study revealed that the percentage of malnutrition and malnutrition risk in this elderly group were 8.6% and 29.7% respectively, with higher percentages in females. These results highlight the need to screen and monitor elderly people and to involve families in the proper nutritional care of elderly.