Prevalence of hospital malnutrition in Argentina: preliminary results of a population-based study.
OBJECTIVE
We investigated the prevalence of malnutrition in a sample of hospitalized patients in Argentina.


METHODS
A random population-based sample of 1000 inpatients in 38 hospitals in 17 cities of Argentina was selected and studied with the Subjective Global Assessment (physical examination plus questionnaire).


RESULTS
Forty-seven percent of the participants were identified as having some degree of malnourishment, one-fourth of which was considered severe. Older males, especially those with cancer or infections, were at highest risk. Nutritional information was incorporated into the patients' charts in only 38.8% of cases, and fewer than 15% had records of usual or current weight and height.


CONCLUSIONS
This study suggested that malnutrition among hospital inpatients in Argentina is common and that the patients' nutrition status is largely unrecognized and neglected in their hospital charts.
Wyszynski
Diego F
DF
Boston University School of Medicine and School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts 02118, USA. dfw@bu.edu
Perman
Mario
M
Crivelli
Adriana
A
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000886:Anthropometry; D001118:Argentina / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006786:Hospitals, Urban / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D009752:Nutritional Status / Q000502:physiology; D016017:Odds Ratio; D015995:Prevalence