The unhealthy lifestyle factors associated with an increased risk of poor nutrition among the elderly population in China

• Published in: The Journal of nutrition, health & aging Vol. 21; no. 9; pp. 943 - 953
• Main Authors: Lin, W.-Q., Wang, H. H. X., Yuan, L.-X., Li, B., Jing, M.-J., Luo, J.-L., Tang, J., Ye, B.-K., Wang, Pei-Xi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Paris Springer Paris 01.11.2017; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Aging; China - epidemiology; Cross-Sectional Studies; Female; Geriatric Assessment - methods; Geriatrics/Gerontology; Humans; Life Style; Lifestyles; Male; Malnutrition; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Middle Aged; Neurosciences; Nutrition; Nutritional status; Nutritional Status - physiology; Older people; Prevalence; Primary Care Medicine; Quality of Life Research; Risk Factors; China; unhealthy lifestyle factors; prevalence; risk factors; Nutritional status; elderly adults
• ISSN: 1279-7707; 1760-4788
• DOI: 10.1007/s12603-017-0881-8

Objectives The associations between nutritional status and lifestyle factors have not been well established. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of poor nutrition and to examine the relationships between nutritional status and unhealthy lifestyle and other related factors among the elderly. Methods This cross-sectional study was conducted in Liaobu Town, Dongguan city, China. A total of 708 community-dwelling older adults aged ≥60 years were recruited by stratified random sampling. Data on sociodemographic characteristics, health and lifestyle factors, and the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) scores were collected using structured questionnaires via face-to-face interviews. A multivariate logistic regression model was constructed to identify the risk factors of poor nutrition. Results The prevalence of malnutrition among the elderly adults in this study was 1.3%, and 24.4% were at risk of malnutrition (RM). Poor nutrition was significantly associated with female gender, older age, lower education, a high number of self-reported chronic diseases, and hospitalization in the last year. Unhealthy lifestyle factors associated with poor nutrition included current smoking status, higher alcohol consumption, lack of physical activity, longer duration of sitting, negative attitude towards life, and a poor family relationship. Conclusions While the prevalence of malnutrition was low, RM was high in the elderly population in China. The determinants of malnutrition were explored and the relationships between nutritional status and unhealthy lifestyle factors were examined. The results of this study provide information for future longitudinal studies with multi-factorial interventional design in order to determine the effects of the causal relationships.