Nutrición Hospitalaria (Apr 2011)
Estudio del estado nutricional de los ancianos de Cantabria Study of the nutritional status of elders in Cantabria
Abstract
Introducción: El envejecimiento de la población representa uno de los retos más importantes desde el punto de vista biosanitario. Objetivo: Valorar el estado nutricional de las personas de 65 y más años de Cantabria. Métodos: Un total de 1605 personas fueron evaluadas por medio del MNA; a) en atención primaria (59,9% en la consulta y 4,7% en domicilios) y, b) en residencias de ancianos (35,4%). Resultados: La puntuación nutricional (PN) obtenida de la suma de los ítems del MNA fue 23,4 ± 4,1 para las mujeres y 24,4 ± 4 en los varones (p Introduction: Population ageing is a main concern under the biosanitary point of view. Aim: To assess the nutritional status of people 65 year-old and older in Cantabria (Spain) Method: A total of 1605 persons were studied by means of the MNA (Mini Nutritional Assessment); a) by primary care (59.9% in the unit, and 4.7% at home) and, b) in nursing homes (35.4%). Results: Nutritional score (NS) was 23.4 ± 4.1 for women and 24.4 ± 4 in males (p < 0.001). We emphasize the fact that 22.3% of people studied in the nursing homes were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition, compared with 14.2% of those studied at the unit, and only 3.3% of the home visited elders. The correlation between the value of the NS and the subjective estimation of nutrition status showed a high value (0.65). We emphasize the negative correlation (-0.53) between BNI value and the incidence of skin lesions. Conclusion: Our results highlight the importance of identifying malnutrition or its risk in elders in order to prevent the negative consequences of this deficiency.