Assessment of risk of malnutrition among elderly patients covered with primary health care from the aspect of risk of falling
Journal Title: Medycyna Ogólna i Nauki o Zdrowiu - Year 2013, Vol 19, Issue 4
Abstract
Proper nutrition is one of the most important factors affecting the maintenance of health. Malnutrition may play an important role in the etiology of falls, as it involves muscle weakness, makes it difficult to maintain balance and favours gait instability.Among the elderly, both malnutrition and falls contribute to the growth of disability, morbidity and mortality. The aim of this study is to assess the risk of falls and nutritional status in geriatric patients, as well as to analyze correlations between nutritional status and such variables as: the risk of falls, fall history, age and gender.The research group comprised 120 patients of a chosen health care department providing health service in outpatients clinics. The mean age was 74.3 years. The chosen method for research was a diagnostic survey based on the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and the Tinetti Test (TT) used for determining and assessing the balance and walk. There was a significant positive correlation between the assessment of malnutrition (MNA) and fall risk assessment (TT) (rs=0.27; p=0.03). The occurrence of fall in an interview significantly correlated with assessments of MNA and TT (rs=0.24; p=0.001). Only in the age group over 75, a significant positive correlation was found between the MNA and the TT (rs=0.28; p=0.03); also, only in this group a significant negative correlation between age and the TT values was found (rs=-0.31; p=0.0001). For both females and males a significant correlation was confirmed between the assessment of risk of malnutrition according to the MNA and the fall risk assessment by the TT (respectively rs=0.26; p=0.02 and rs=0.34; p=0.04). Conclusions: 1. With increased risk of malnutrition the risk of falling increases, this relationship is independent of gender and affects mainly patients with advanced geriatric age. 2. There is a statistically significant correlation between the fall in the interview and the increased risk of malnutrition and risk of a fall. 3. Due to the aging population, the incidence of malnutrition and falls constitute a significant health problem among the primary health care patients, assessment of nutritional status and risk of falls should therefore be an important element of comprehensive geriatric assessment.Key wordsmalnutrition, falls, old age, primary health care
Authors and Affiliations
Magdalena Sylwia Kamińska, Jacek Brodowski
Keywords
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