Living at home ups malnutrition risk for seniors

Up to one in six older people living at home is under-nourished and at risk of malnutrition, a new study has found.

Researchers from Sweden found that 14.5% of the 579 older people they studied were at risk of malnutrition.

Approximately 20% of the women in the study faced a higher overall risk of malnutrition, compared to 10.5% of the men. Additionally, men were more likely to be at risk of malnutrition if they were depressed.

Three-quarters of women in the at-risk group described themselves as unhealthy compared to 44% of the women who were not at risk. Most of the women in the at-risk group lived alone.

“We discovered that people were most likely to be at risk of malnutrition if they felt their health was poor. The second factor was symptoms of depression – especially in men – and higher age,” the researchers said.

“Our population is ageing. It is vital to ensure that health professionals are looking after the nutritional health of older people, as well as caring for any medical conditions they may have.”

The study was published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing.

[Posted: Fri 08/05/2009]