Frequency of malnutrition in older adults: a multinational perspective using the mini nutritional assessment.
OBJECTIVE
To provide pooled data on the prevalence of malnutrition in elderly people as evaluated using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA).


METHODS
Retrospective pooled analysis of previously published datasets.


METHODS
Hospital, rehabilitation, nursing home, community.


METHODS
Four thousand five hundred seven people (75.2% female) with a mean age of 82.3.


METHODS
The prevalence of malnutrition in the combined database and in the four settings was examined.


RESULTS
Twenty-four data sets with information on full MNA classification from researchers from 12 countries were submitted. In the combined database, the prevalence of malnutrition was 22.8%, with considerable differences between the settings (rehabilitation, 50.5%; hospital, 38.7%; nursing home, 13.8%; community, 5.8%). In the combined database, the "at risk" group had a prevalence of 46.2%. Consequently, approximately two-thirds of study participants were at nutritional risk or malnourished.


CONCLUSIONS
The MNA has gained worldwide acceptance and shows a high prevalence of malnutrition in different settings, except for the community. Because of its specific geriatric focus, the MNA should be recommended as the basis for nutritional evaluation in older people.
Kaiser
Matthias J
MJ
Institute for Biomedicine of Aging, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany. dr-kaiser@web.de
Bauer
Jürgen M
JM
Rämsch
Christiane
C
Uter
Wolfgang
W
Guigoz
Yves
Y
Cederholm
Tommy
T
Thomas
David R
DR
Anthony
Patricia S
PS
Charlton
Karen E
KE
Maggio
Marcello
M
Tsai
Alan C
AC
Vellas
Bruno
B
Sieber
Cornel C
CC
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009735:Nursing Homes; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D011159:Population Surveillance / Q000379:methods*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology