Skipping of meals has a significant impact on dietary intake and nutritional status of old (65+ y) nursing home residents.
BACKGROUND
In spite of a high prevalence of undernutrition among old nursing home residents, studies have generally reported a mean intake of energy sufficient to cover the mean estimated energy requirement. This discrepancy could be due to skipping of meals and hence periods of insufficient energy intake too intermittent to be identified, when mean results are presented.


OBJECTIVE
To examine the significance of skipping of (part of) meals on dietary intake and nutritional status of old (65+y) nursing home residents.


METHODS
Participants were 132 nursing home residents (84 (82-85) y). They were characterised according to activity of daily living-functions (ADL-functions), cognitive performance, intake of energy and protein (4-days dietary record), skipping of meals, energy and protein balance, and nutritional status (body mass index (BMI)).


RESULTS
The participants had an energy intake, which was significantly higher than the estimated energy requirement (p <0.001). However, 41 (31%) had nothing to eat or only had desert at one or more meals during the 4-day registration period. Participants who were skipping meals had a lower BMI, energy and protein intake (all p <0.001) and a higher prevalence of negative protein balance (p <0.01), than the other residents.


CONCLUSIONS
More focus should be given to individualized nutritional assessment in order to discover the cause to this problem and target individuals who could be helped by nutritional intervention.
Beck
A M
AM
Danish Veterinary and Food Administration, Moerkhoej Bygade 19, DK-2860 Soeborg. be@fdir.dk
Ovesen
L
L
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015992:Body Mass Index; D003071:Cognition; D003718:Denmark; D004044:Dietary Proteins / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D004435:Eating / Q000502:physiology*; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009735:Nursing Homes; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D009752:Nutritional Status
D004044:Dietary Proteins