Comparative analysis of nutritional status among institutionalised and community-dwelling elderly women and its...

Population pyramids are significantly impacted by the global phenomena of ageing. It has been reported that depression and cognitive function have an impact on the nutritional status of older adults. Depression is the most common psychiatric problem in old age, and cognitive deterioration is frequently observed in this age group.

This descriptive and comparative study set out to compare the cognitive abilities, nutritional health and depression status of older adults who lived in community settings and in assisted living facilities.

A total of 250 older women (125 from institutionalised old age home and 125 from community) participated in a cross-sectional study (residing at Rajarhat, Newtown area). The lengthy version of the Mini Nutritional Assessment tool (MNA®) was used to evaluate the participants' nutritional status. The Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS 30) was used to evaluate the severity of the depression. Using the Folstein Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), cognitive function was assessed. Using SPSS software, the Chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis test, and Spearman's rho correlation coefficient were computed.

In the present study, it was observed that only 30.4% of the respondents who are community-dwelling elderly had normal MNA score, whereas 69.6% were at risk of malnutrition or already malnourished. Considering institutionalised elderly it was observed that only 7.2% were normal and 92.8% were malnourished/at risk of malnutrition. Statistically significant association was observed between nutritional status and mental health status (P = 0.00) as well as cognitive function (P = 0.00) among old age home residing elderly. Among the community-dwelling elderly mental health status has significant association with their nutritional status (P = 0.00) and cognitive function (P = 0.00) as well.

Community-dwelling elderly were relatively healthy compared to old age home residents. Maintaining the nutritional, cognitive, and mental health of institutionalised and community-dwelling elderly women requires the implementation of physical and cognitive stimulation activities as well as interventions targeted at improving a healthy diet.