[Nutrition-related risk factors in autonomous non-institutionalized adult elderly people]

To determine factors related to nutritional riskin autonomous non-institutionalized adult elder people.

Cross-sectional study including 660 autonomous non-institutionalized adult elder people. Participants were assessed in 12 social centres (province of Valencia) and selected using stratified sampling by blocks.

age 65 or over, living at home, functionally autonomous, having lived for more than 1 year in the province of Valencia, regularly visiting social centres and voluntary participation in the study. MNA is used for nutritional assessment and factors associated to nutritional status are collected by means of an ad-hoc survey.

Out of the 660 study subjects, 48.33% are male and 51.67% are female, mean age is 74.3±6,57. 23.33% show malnutrition risk. Independent factors associated to malnutrition risk -with adjusted prevalence odds ratioare: absence of academic education (OR=2.29), feeling lonely (OR=2.34), following controlled diets (OR=0.55), reduced appetite (OR=2.56), number of fractions in daily intake (OR=0.66), suffering from xerostomia (OR=1.72), swallowing difficulties (OR=2.30), number of chronic diseases (OR=1.38) and having suffered from acute diseases during the last year (OR=2.03). An increase in BMI is associated with a good nutritional status (OR=0.85). These factors have allowed an accurate classification of 80% of the surveyed patients.

Numerous chronic diseases, recent acute diseases, non-controlled diets, xerostomia and swallowing difficulties, eating few times a day and little appetite, feelling lonely and lacking from academic education are factors allowing the prediction of malnutrition risk in adult elder people.