Obesity in nursing homes: a critical review

Abstract

Obesity is a significant, and increasing, health problem for older individuals, their caregivers, and healthcare professionals and delivery systems, yet few studies document how nursing homes have responded to this epidemic. To address these gaps, an extensive electronic search was conducted in the Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health, MedLine, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library using key terms and phrases, including obesity, morbid obesity, obesity in elderly, long-term care, bariatric or weight loss surgery, nursing care, and nursing homes. Subsequent critical review suggests that research on obesity in older adults has predominantly been conducted in community-dwelling populations and that few investigations have elucidated this problem in nursing home (NH) residents. Research priorities are also proposed to fill the current void in studies of obese NH residents.