Undernutrition and associated factors among hospitalized patients

The identification of modifiable risk factors associated with disease-related undernutrition at hospital admission will contribute to the development of integrated intervention and control strategies for a timely primary prevention. This study aim was to quantify the association between functional autonomy and undernutrition.

A multicentric cross-sectional study was developed in six public hospitals in Portugal. Undernutrition risk was assessed using Nutritional Risk Screening 2002, undernutrition status was classified from anthropometry and functional autonomy was evaluated using the Katz Index.

In this sample of 1144 patients, 36% were at undernutrition risk and 9.7% undernourished. In logistic regression analysis, dependent patients were at an increased risk of undernutrition (OR = 1.69, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.20-2.39). The following parameters: illiteracy (OR = 2.45, CI = 1.52-3.96), age (one year increment) (OR = 1.03, CI = 1.02-1.04), male (OR = 1.61, CI = 1.19-2.16), single/divorced/widowed (OR = 1.83, CI = 1.34-2.51) and smoker (OR = 1.55, CI = 1.02-2.35) also increased the undernutrition risk. The impaired functional status, being single, divorced or widowed and be a smoker were also associated with anthropometric undernutrition.

Functional impairment is related with undernutrition risk and with anthropometrical undernutrition at hospital admission. We also conclude that little extra information is gained by using anthropometrical indices compared to NRS 2002 when assessing the factors associated with undernutrition.