Progress in the development of a nutritional risk index.
The development of a 16-item nutritional risk index (NRI) is chronicled from its inception through its application in three studies designed to assess its reliability and validity. Study I involved a survey of 401 community-dwelling elderly in St. Louis, Missouri who were interviewed at baseline, 4-5 mo later, and 1 yr later. Study II involved a cross-sectional survey of 377 male outpatients attending two clinics at the St. Louis Veterans Administration Medical Center. Study III involved a cross-sectional survey of 424 community-dwelling elderly in Houston, Texas. Internal consistency reliability coefficients ranged between 0.47 and 0.60, and test-retest reliability coefficients ranged between 0.65 and 0.71. Validity was established by using the NRI to predict the use of health services, as well as by correlating it with a variety of anthropometric, laboratory, and clinical markers of nutritional status. The utility of the NRI for future applications is discussed.
Wolinsky
F D
FD
Department of Medicine, Indiana University, Indianapolis.
Coe
R M
RM
McIntosh
W A
WA
Kubena
K S
KS
Prendergast
J M
JM
Chavez
M N
MN
Miller
D K
DK
Romeis
J C
JC
Landmann
W A
WA
D000368:Aged; D000886:Anthropometry; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D008923:Missouri; D009747:Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D009752:Nutritional Status; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors