Prefrailty in community-dwelling older adults is associated with nutrition status

Abstract

Aims and objectives: This study investigated the differences of demographic characteristics and nutrition status between prefrail and nonfrail older adults. Meanwhile, the factors related to the nutrition status of community-dwelling older adults were also studied.

Background: The World Health Organisation has actively developed prevention programmes to address geriatric frailty. However, few previous studies have focused on the relationship between prefrailty and nutrition status.

Design: This study adopted a cross-sectional and correlational research design.

Methods: Community-dwelling older adults were recruited for this study. The participants' nutrition status was assessed using the Mini-Nutritional Assessment tool, and their frailty status was evaluated based on the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures indicators. The Study of Osteoporotic Fractures criteria comprise the following three items: >5% loss in total body weight within one year; inability to rise five times from a chair without assistance and a self-reported lack of energy. Inclusion criteria were age ≥65 years, living independently at home and exhibiting neither mental impairment nor acute disease.

Results: Data were gathered from 152 participants; most were men, lived alone and had a level of education lower than elementary school. Multiple linear regressions were used to evaluate the association between variables and nutritional status, the results of which revealed that prefrailty and body mass index were independently related to the participants' nutrition status.

Conclusions: The results showed that nutritional assessment can be employed with community-dwelling older adults. In particular, prefrailty and body mass index were key factors that affected nutritional status in older adults.

Relevance to clinical practice: Community nurses must understand the risk factors related to nutritional status in community-dwelling older people. If nurses use this approach, prefrail older adults are likely to experience improved confidence in maintaining their health and a decreased incidence of frailty and malnutrition.

Keywords: community nursing; nutritional assessment; older people; prefrailty.