[Assessment of nutritional status in institutionalized elderly individuals through body impedance analysis]

The aim of this study was to describe changes in body composition and determine the prevalence of malnutrition or of risk of malnutrition in long institutionalized elderly patients. Four hundred five patients aged over 64 years were included in the study. Nutritional status was evaluated by means of questionnaire, height and weight measurements and bioelectrical Impedance Vector Analysis (BIVA). Height, weight and phase angle significantly diminished with increasing age. Significant gender differences were also found, with phase angle being lower in females with respect to males. BIVA confidence analysis showed significant differences in body composition between subjects of different ages and levels of physical self-sufficiency.Overall, a large proportion of subjects in this study had evidence of malnutrition or were shown to be at risk for malnutrition. This indicates the importance of performing nutritional risk screening in all institutionalized subjects upon admission and during their stay in nursing homes.