Description
ABSTRACT
Although malnutrition risk is well documented in elderly care institutions, few studies have been conducted to address concerns regarding community-dwelling elderly people. This study has been aimed to describe the nutritional status and its related socioeconomic and geriatric factors in community-dwelling elders with malnutrition.
This is a single-center cross-sectional method was used in the study which included 102 patients aged 65 years and older who were present to Ogun state general hospital. Anthropometric and biochemical measurements of the patients were obtained, and the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) scale was administered to the patients using a face-to-face interview technique. In the statistical analysis of the data, categorical variables were analyzed using a Chi-square test, normally distributed data were analyzed using an analysis of variance (ANOVA), continuous variables with normal distribution comprising independent measurements were analyzed using an Independent Samples T-test, and data without normal distribution were analyzed using a Mann-Whitney Rank Sum test. The result shows that out of the 102 patients included in this study, 45 (44.1%) were male and 57 (55.9%) were female. The mean age was 74.06±7.89 years (min-max: 65–92). Of these patients, 39 (38.2%) were found to have malnutrition, 19 (18.6%) were at high risk of malnutrition and 44 (43.1%) had a normal nutritional status. The findings suggest evaluating nutritional status in individuals aged 65 years and older in the population on a regular basis to reduce disease risk and mortality.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
COVER PAGE
TITLE PAGE
APPROVAL PAGE
DEDICATION
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
ABSTRACT
CHAPTER ONE
- INTRODUCTION
- BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
- PROBLEM STATEMENT
- AIM AND OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY
- SCOPE OF THE STUDY
- LIMITATION OF THE STUDY
- PROJECT ORGANISATION
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
- REVIEW OF THE STUDY
- OVERVIEW OF GERIATRICS
- AN OVERVIEW OF AGING
- PROBLEMS CAUSED BY MALNUTRITION
- FACTORS CONTRIBUTING TO MALNUTRITION
- MONITORING NUTRITION AND PREVENTING MALNUTRITION
- NEED FOR PERSONALIZED NUTRITIONAL CARE
- FOOD AND NUTRITION
- COGNITIVE, AFFECTIVE, AND SENSORY FUNCTION
CHAPTER THREE
METHODOLOGY
- STUDY AREA
- RESEARCH DESIGN
- RESEARCH DESIGN AND STUDY POPULATION
- MEASUREMENTS AND TOOLS
- DATA ANALYSIS AND STATISTICAL METHODS
CHAPTER FOUR
- RESULT
- DISCUSSION
CHAPTER FIVE
- CONCLUSION
- REFERENCES
CHAPTER ONE
1.0 INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
Malnutrition, in simple terms, refers to the lack of nutrition and is characterized by the inability to consume the necessary nutrients required by the body.(Rasheed et al, 2013) Malnutrition and risks of developing malnutrition in the elderly may have various negative results, such as prolonging hospital stays, increasing healthcare costs, decreasing quality of life and increasing the risk of death (Fávaro-Moreira et al, 2016).
Life expectancy has increased in parallel to the improvements in the quality of life and the decrease in the birth rates worldwide, and this has resulted in a gradual increase in the elderly population. According to the expectations of the World Health Organization, it is estimated that there will be approximately 1.2 billion elderly people in 2025, and this figure will reach two billion by 2050, with 80% of the elderly population in the world living in developing countries (WHO, 2017)
Elderly people (aged 65 years and older) made up 7.7% of the global population in 2013, and it is estimated that this will have increased to 10.2% by 2023, to 20.8% by 2050 and 27.7% by 2075 (WHO, 2017).
Changes in food consumption occur as people advance in age. In the elderly, inadequate food consumption due to a loss of appetite results in a decrease in muscle and fat mass and the development of malnutrition (Orlandoni et al, 2017).
Keeping a daily food log is extremely important in detecting conditions that develop secondary to nutritional status, although keeping such a food log can be difficult, which has led to the development of various screening tests for the measurement of nutritional status.
The Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) scale developed by Guigoz et al. in 1994 has been used as a screening test for the detection of malnutrition. (Bauer JM, 2017). European guidelines on nutritional screening recommend the use of MNA or the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short- Form (MNA-SF) in the geriatric population (Guigoz, 2017). However, malnutrition also reflects physical changes and the consequences of changes in function. (Ulger, 2010). Malnutrition causes impairments in physical and mental functioning, and the findings showed that providing nutritional support to patients with malnutrition leads to a restoration of physical and mental functioning (Lochs, 2016). Nutritional screening is required to provide nutritional support.
There are various studies of MNA and MNA-SF in different parts of the world. In a study by Kaiser et al. which aimed to detect cases of malnutrition in the community, MNA was used as a screening tool, and different rates were reported for the elderly people living in nursing homes, hospitals and in the community. The authors identified a correlation between malnutrition and dementia and sarcopenia and suggested that the MNA could be used to evaluate the nutritional status of elderly people. (Bonilla-Palomas, 2012). Another study conducted on the geriatric population using the MNA scale found that individuals with malnutrition enter the aging process more rapidly, and have higher mortality rates than individuals with normal nutritional status (Persson et al, 2013). Similarly, in another study, the MNA scale was administered to inpatients that had suffered heart failure and found that these patients had a higher mortality rate (Bonilla-Palomas et al, 2012). The present study aims to detect the prevalence of malnutrition in the elderly Ogun state population using the MNA scale.
1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT
Nutritional problems are one of the most common disorders encountered in aging, and malnutrition, secondary to insufficient food consumption. Failure to diagnose malnutrition can increase the risk of illnesses and death. This study was carried out to evaluate the nutritional status of elderly patients aged 65 years and older through a Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) scale and to determine its relationship with laboratory parameters.
1.3 AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The main aim of this work is to visualize the interplay between the main components of nutritional status from an aging perspective. It is intended to be used in nutritional assessments in research as well as in clinical settings. The objectives are:
- To evaluate the nutritional status of elderly patients aged 65 years and older through a Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) scale.
- To determine its relationship with laboratory parameters.
- To study the causes of nutritional problems in elderly people
1.4 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
From this study, we conclude that elderly individuals who suffer from multiple physical disabilities, chronic illnesses and cognitive and functional decline, those who are financially poor, and those with a single marital status were at higher risk of malnutrition. Impaired nutritional status was clearly related to frailty.
In addition to that, raising awareness of health professionals and care givers about malnutrition needs to be addressed in the context of the demographic changes.
1.5 LIMITATION OF STUDY
As we all know that no human effort to achieve a set of goals goes without difficulties, certain constraints were encountered in the course of carrying out this project and they are as follows:-
- Difficulty in information collection: I found it too difficult in laying hands of useful information regarding this work and this course me to visit different libraries and internet for solution.
- Financial Constraint: Insufficient fund tends to impede the efficiency of the researcher in sourcing for the relevant materials, literature or information and in the process of data collection (internet and interview).
- Time Constraint: The researcher will simultaneously engage in this study with other academic work. This consequently will cut down on the time devoted for the research work.
1.6 PROJECT ORGANISATION
The work is organized as follows: chapter one discuses the introductory part of the work, chapter two presents the literature review of the study, chapter three describes the methods applied, chapter four discusses the results of the work, chapter five summarizes the research outcomes and the recommendations.
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