Association between nutritional status (MNA®-SF) and frailty (SHARE-FI) in acute hospitalised elderly patients

• Published in: The Journal of nutrition, health & aging Vol. 18; no. 3; pp. 264 - 269
• Main Authors: Dorner, T. E, Luger, Eva, Tschinderle, J, Stein, K. V, Haider, S, Kapan, A, Lackinger, C, Schindler, K. E
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Paris Springer-Verlag 01.03.2014; Springer Paris; Springer; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; Anthropometry; Austria - epidemiology; Biological and medical sciences; Consent; Cronbach's alpha; Cross-Sectional Studies; elderly; Endocrinology; Exercise; Factor Analysis, Statistical; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Frail Elderly - statistics & numerical data; Frailty; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Geriatric Assessment; Geriatrics/Gerontology; Health care; Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data; Hospitals; Hospitals, University; Humans; Internal medicine; Male; Malnutrition; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; men; Metabolic diseases; Metabolism; Neurosciences; Nutrition; Nutrition Assessment; nutritional intervention; Nutritional Status; Older people; Other nutritional diseases (malnutrition, nutritional and vitamin deficiencies...); Patients; Physical fitness; Preventive medicine; Primary care; Primary Care Medicine; Public health; Quality of Life Research; Risk; surveys; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; women; Screening; malnutrition; frailty; hospital; elderly; Human; Association; Acute; Nutrition disorder; Metabolic diseases; Hospital; Medical screening; Malnutrition; Elderly; Nutritional status
• ISSN: 1279-7707; 1760-4788
• DOI: 10.1007/s12603-013-0406-z

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to explore the association between the impaired nutritional status and frailty in acute hospitalised elderly patients by using two tools, the MNA®-SF (Mini Nutritional Assessment® short-form) and the SHARE-FI (Frailty Instrument for Primary Care of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: Acute hospitalised, community-dwelling elderly patients were recruited at internal medicine wards in Vienna, Austria. PARTICIPANTS: 133 men (39%) and women (61%) aged 74 (65–97) years. MEASUREMENTS: MNA®-SF was used to investigate malnutrition (<7 points) and patients at risk of malnutrition (8 to 11 points). By using the SHARE-FI, subjects were classified as frail, pre-frail or robust. A factor analysis was applied to identify overlaps between the MNA®-SF and SHARE-FI items. Internal consistency of different dimensions was assessed by using Cronbach’s Alpha. RESULTS: Malnutrition or risk of malnutrition was found in 76.7% of the total sample and in 46.8% of robust, in 69.0% of pre-frail, and in 93.0% of frail participants. Frailty or prefrailty was found in 75.9% of the total sample and in 45.1% of the subjects with no risk of malnutrition, in 80.9% of subjects at risk of malnutrition, and in 94.1% of malnourished patients. The two used tools show overlaps in three dimensions: (1) nutrition problems, (2) mobility problems and (3) anthropometric items with a moderate to strong internal consistency (Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.670, 0.834 and 0.946, respectively). 64.7% of the total sample (79.5% of frail and 87.9% of malnourished subjects) would participate in a home-based muscle training and nutritional intervention program. CONCLUSIONS: This study underlines the association and the overlap between frailty and impaired nutritional status. There is a high readiness to participate in a program to tackle the problems associated with malnutrition and frailty, especially in those, who would benefit most from it.