Validation of the Mini Nutritional Assessment short-form (MNA-SF): a practical tool for identification of nutritional status.
OBJECTIVE
To validate a revision of the Mini Nutritional Assessment short-form (MNA(R)-SF) against the full MNA, a standard tool for nutritional evaluation.


METHODS
A literature search identified studies that used the MNA for nutritional screening in geriatric patients. The contacted authors submitted original datasets that were merged into a single database. Various combinations of the questions on the current MNA-SF were tested using this database through combination analysis and ROC based derivation of classification thresholds.


RESULTS
Twenty-seven datasets (n=6257 participants) were initially processed from which twelve were used in the current analysis on a sample of 2032 study participants (mean age 82.3y) with complete information on all MNA items. The original MNA-SF was a combination of six questions from the full MNA. A revised MNA-SF included calf circumference (CC) substituted for BMI performed equally well. A revised three-category scoring classification for this revised MNA-SF, using BMI and/or CC, had good sensitivity compared to the full MNA.


CONCLUSIONS
The newly revised MNA-SF is a valid nutritional screening tool applicable to geriatric health care professionals with the option of using CC when BMI cannot be calculated. This revised MNA-SF increases the applicability of this rapid screening tool in clinical practice through the inclusion of a "malnourished" category.
Kaiser
M J
MJ
Institute for the Biomedicine of Aging, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nurnberg, Heimerichstrasse 58, 90419 Nuremberg, Germany.
Bauer
J M
JM
Ramsch
C
C
Uter
W
W
Guigoz
Y
Y
Cederholm
T
T
Thomas
D R
DR
Anthony
P
P
Charlton
K E
KE
Maggio
M
M
Tsai
A C
AC
Grathwohl
D
D
Vellas
B
B
Sieber
C C
CC
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000886:Anthropometry; D015992:Body Mass Index; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009752:Nutritional Status; D012372:ROC Curve; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires / Q000592:standards*