The number of elderly people is growing rapidly which will be followed by various health problems in this population. Nutritional status of elderly whether, obese or malnourished can affect their overall health status...The number of elderly people is growing rapidly which will be followed by various health problems in this population. Nutritional status of elderly whether, obese or malnourished can affect their overall health status. Little is known about the nutritional status of elderly. To assess the nutritional status of elderly patients who are visiting outpatient clinics. Cross- sectional study conducted in Outpatient Clinics at King Abdul-Aziz Medical City between April and December 2013. A total of 363 participants were included （198 men and 165 women） aged 65 years or older. The nutritional status of participants was assessed using body mass index （BMI） and the Mini-Nutritional Assessment （MNA） tool. The prevalence of malnutrition among elderly outpatient was found to be 9.6% and 27.5% were at risk of malnutrition with no difference between male and female. MNA total score was significantly lower with increasing age in both genders. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 30.9% and 27% respectively. Obesity was significantly higher among females than males. Nutritional problems are highly prevalent among elderly outpatient, reaching 36.6% （obesity = 27%, malnutrition = 9.6%）. Therefore, nutritional status of elderly needs to be assessed routinely for prevention, early identification and treatment.展开更多
文摘The number of elderly people is growing rapidly which will be followed by various health problems in this population. Nutritional status of elderly whether, obese or malnourished can affect their overall health status. Little is known about the nutritional status of elderly. To assess the nutritional status of elderly patients who are visiting outpatient clinics. Cross- sectional study conducted in Outpatient Clinics at King Abdul-Aziz Medical City between April and December 2013. A total of 363 participants were included （198 men and 165 women） aged 65 years or older. The nutritional status of participants was assessed using body mass index （BMI） and the Mini-Nutritional Assessment （MNA） tool. The prevalence of malnutrition among elderly outpatient was found to be 9.6% and 27.5% were at risk of malnutrition with no difference between male and female. MNA total score was significantly lower with increasing age in both genders. The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 30.9% and 27% respectively. Obesity was significantly higher among females than males. Nutritional problems are highly prevalent among elderly outpatient, reaching 36.6% （obesity = 27%, malnutrition = 9.6%）. Therefore, nutritional status of elderly needs to be assessed routinely for prevention, early identification and treatment.
