Chronic energy deficiency and its predictors among older adults in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study

Approximately 40% of fatalities in developing nations are associated with chronic energy deficiency. However, studies on chronic energy deficiency which is one form of nutritional deficiency and an important public health problem are quite limited (especially 50-65 years old population, because most studies have focused heavily on elders older than 65 and Ethiopian demographic data often focused less than 49 years), which makes it difficult to identify their nutritional need. In other word as life expectancy in Ethiopia rises and its older population grows, there is pressing need for quality information on their nutritional status.

The objective of this study was to assess chronic energy deficiency and its predictors among the population of older adults (defined as 50 years and above) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted among older adults 50 years and above from February 12-22, 2025 with 100% response rate. Data from 635 individuals were collected using the open-source mobile based Kobo toolbox. Data were downloaded, merged and cleaned on Excel 2019 and then imported to SPSS V27. A bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression model was used to determine associations between the outcome variable and its predictors.

A total of 635 older adults were interviewed with mean age of the participants was 64.7 (50 to 91) years with higher percentage of males (58.4%) represented. The study revealed that prevalence of chronic energy deficiency (CED) in older adult population was 10.1% (CI:7.9%-12.6%).Respondents in the age between 50 and 65 [AOR = 3.9, 95% CI: 1.6-9.3], those having infrequent meal [AOR = 3.9, 95% CI: 1.7-8.8],irregular meal pattern [AOR = 2.4, 95% CI: 1.3-4.6],insomnia [AOR = 3.1, 95% CI: 1.5-6.6], Inadequate or poor dietary diversity [AOR = 2.8, 95% CI: 1.5-5.3] and household with food insecurity [AOR = 6.2, 95% CI 3.2-12.2] were significantly more likely to have CED compared to their counterparts.

The prevalence of chronic energy deficiency was substantial in the study area. It was significantly associated with age between 50 and 65, poor dietary diversity score, infrequent meal and irregular meal pattern, insomnia and household food insecurity. Therefore, efforts to combat CED should focus on supporting the most vulnerable groups identified in this study. Raising awareness within communities on meal frequency and meal pattern is also crucial.