[Compared nutritional assessment for older adults at family medicine settings]

The nutritional state assessment have important implications to consider both: prognosis and prevention of diseases related to older adults. This study was designed to compare the assessment of the nutritional state, in alder adults, via Mini Nutritional Assessment with those obtained via evaluation of caloric ingest and anthropometric, biochemical and immunological parameters at family medicine centers.

The nutritional status was assessed in 153 older adults, 93 men and 64 women, whose received medical attention at a primary care unit, the age average was 69.66 +/- 7.94 years old. The nutritional assessment obtained with Mini Nutritional assessment was compared to those obtained via biochemical and immunological parameters (hemoglobin, serum total proteins, albumin, cholesterol and lymphocytes) and anthropometric parameters (size, weight, body mass index).

Body Mass Index (BMI) was 26.96 +/- 5.1 kg/m(2). Once the adults were evaluated with the MNA questionnaire, malnourishment was found in 47 patients (29.9%), risk of malnutrition in 86 patients (54.8%), and no risk for malnutrition 24 patients (15.3%). The MNA questionnaire was the strongest instrument to assess the nutritional status in older adults and to predict the risk of malnutrition in such population, (sensibility =96%, specificity= 98%, positive predictive value=97% and negative predictive value= 88%). The most important relations founded among variables to assess the nutritional status in older adults were the following: MNA-BMI (c(2) = 51.314 con gl = 6, p < 0.001); MNA-serum total proteins (c(2) = 46.989, gl = 2; p < 0.001); BMI-serum albumin (c(2) = 37.508, gl = 3; p < 0.001); MNA-Daily Carbone-hidrate ingestion (c(2) = 21.50, gl = 4; p < 0.001); MNA-Daily lipids ingestion (c(2) = , gl = 2; p < 0.001).

The MNA predicts in opportune form the risk of malnutrition and the state of malnutrition the older adults previously to anthropometric, biochemical and immunological parameters. We recommend to use it, to do nutritional evaluation of older adults one time a year and in those adults in whom the risk of malnutrition or malnutrition have been detected, we recommend to complete the nutritional evaluation via determination of biochemical, immunological and anthropometric parameters mentioned above.