1- PhD Student of Gerontology, Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Health and Nutrition, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran.
2- Instructor, Department of Health Education and Promotion, School of Health, Qom University of Medical Science, Qom, Iran.
3- Assistant Professor, Department of Nutritional Science, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
4- Instructor, Social Determinants of Health Research Center, School of Health, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran. , shahry_2001@yahoo.com
Abstract: (4717 Views)
Introduction: Nutrition is one of the essential determinants of health in the elderly so that in older age, malnutrition and chronic diseases become prevalent, and one leads to another and vice versa.
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of malnutrition and its association with general health and multimorbidity among older people living in nursing homes in Ahvaz City in 2016.
Materials and Methods: This analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 184 older people living in nursing homes located in Ahvaz. The participants were assessed using a demographic form, mini nutritional assessment tool, and the 12-item general health questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS V. 18 using descriptive statistics as well as the Spearman correlation coefficient, independent t-test, and one way ANOVA.
Results: Of 184 participants, (66.2%) were female and (33.8%) male with a Mean±SD age of 68.9±7.8 year. Also, (19.2%) had malnutrition, (52.17%) risks of developing malnutrition, (28.8%) normal nutritional state, and (99.26%) undesirable general health status. There was no statistically significant relationship between their general health and nutritional status. About (35%) of the elderly had 3 or more diseases, where their most common disease was depression. Based on the results, their nutritional state had a significant correlation with multimorbidity (r=0.92, P=0.02) and between high-protein food intake and skin problems (r=0.71, P<0.001).
Conclusion: Regarding the undesirable nutritional status and the low level of general health in the elderly, nutritional, and psychological interventions for this group seems necessary.
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Highlights
Malnutrition is one of the most common problems of older people.
Most of the elderly under study had poor nutritional status.
The general health status of the elderly under study was poor.
There is a significant relationship between nutritional status and multimorbidity in older people.
There is no significant relationship between nutritional status and general health in older people.
Plain Language Summary
Increasing growth of the aging population can be a significant issue for countries and governments, as with this increase, society will face the challenges and issues related to the aging population. Malnutrition is one of these common problems, which is also prevalent among residents of nursing homes. Also, older people suffer from one or more diseases at the same time that affects their quality of life. According to studies, general health status is also undesirable in the aging period. This study was conducted to evaluate the association of nutritional status with general health and multimorbidity among older people living in nursing homes in Ahvaz City. The findings showed that their nutritional status and general health was undesirable and unfortunate, and depression was the most frequent disease in this population. Nutritional status had a significant relationship with multimorbidity, but not with general health. It is suggested that proper interventions be conducted to improve nutritional status in nursing homes and control the factors that affect it, such as disease, and the caregivers should receive the necessary education in this area.
Article Type :
Research |
Subject:
General Received: 2019/07/4 | Accepted: 2019/08/10 | Published: 2019/10/1