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Defining malnutrition: mission or mission impossible?
Judith M M Meijers1, Marian A E van Bokhorst-de van der Schueren, Jos M G A Schols
1Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Department of Health Care and Nursing Science, School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands. j.meijers@zw.unimaas.nl
Nutrition (Burbank, Los Angeles County, Calif.)
|December 4, 2009
Summary
Experts lack consensus on defining and operationalizing malnutrition, highlighting the need for a gold standard. Key elements include energy/protein deficiency, fat-free mass loss, involuntary weight loss, BMI, and nutritional intake, but cutoff points vary significantly.
Area of Science:
- Nutrition Science
- Clinical Medicine
- Healthcare Research
Background:
- Healthcare screening for malnutrition has increased significantly.
- A universally accepted definition and operationalization of malnutrition remain elusive.
- This study addresses the need for expert consensus in defining malnutrition.
Purpose of the Study:
- To gather expert opinions on the essential elements for defining and operationalizing malnutrition.
- To identify key components for a standardized approach to malnutrition assessment.
- To stimulate further debate and facilitate international consensus within nutritional societies.
Main Methods:
- A three-phase Delphi study was conducted.
- Phase 1 involved a literature review.
- Phase 2 used semistructured interviews, and Phase 3 involved expert feedback on element ranking.
Main Results:
- Twenty-two experts participated, with a 73.3% response rate.
- No overall agreement was reached on the definition or operationalization of malnutrition.
- Key elements identified include energy/protein deficiency, reduced fat-free mass, involuntary weight loss, BMI, and nutritional intake, though cutoff points varied.
Conclusions:
- Full expert agreement on malnutrition definition and operationalization is currently lacking.
- The findings underscore the need for continued discussion among nutritional societies.
- The study aims to contribute to establishing an international consensus on malnutrition assessment.
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