Assessing Nutritional Status and Frailty among Poor Elderly Individuals in Requena del Tapiche, Peru

Abstract

Frailty is a biological syndrome that leads to a loss of physiological reserve, increasing susceptibility to adverse health events. In the Peruvian Amazon, the elderly live with hardly any economic resources, presenting a caloric deficit that is related to functional and cognitive deterioration. Our objective was to identify the health needs of elderly people living in extreme poverty in Requena (Peru) by means of a geriatric assessment of the nutritional and functional spheres to design, in the future, a cooperation project appropriate to the needs detected. This is an observational, descriptive, and cross-sectional study. Sixty participants were included, and sociodemographic and functional status variables were analyzed using the MNA and Barthel scales and the Get Up and Go test. The mean age of the participants was 79 ± 6.67 (women 55% and men 45%), where 60% had frailty. A statistically significant relationship was found between the MNA scores and Barthel test. Eighty-five percent were malnourished or at risk and thirteen percent had total or moderate dependence. We conclude that the nutritional status of the elderly was deficient. The high degree of living alone in which they live forces them to maintain their independence and their walking stability is normal. The situation of frailty exceeds the national average, a situation that has repercussions for their quality of life. We found a statistically significant association between nutritional status, dependence, and frailty. The better-nourished elderly are less frail and less dependent.

Keywords: Peru; dependency; elderly; frail elderly; malnutrition; mobility limitation.

Figure 1

Box-and-whisker plot for dependency of elderly participants in association with their degree of nutritional status according to the MNA.