title: Mini Nutritional Assessment and functional capacity in community-dwelling elderly in rural Luozi, Democratic Republic of Congo.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Good nutrition is beneficial both for the health and the functional capacity of the elderly. However, malnutrition is a serious health problem among the elderly, particularly the elderly living in rural areas in many developing countries. The aim of the present study was to carry out a cross-sectional study of the elderly in the city of Luozi, Democratic Republic of Congo, through the use of the long and the short forms of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) scale.
  
  
  METHODS
  We carried out a cross-sectional study in the city of Luozi, a city facing serious socioeconomic problems as a result of wartime conditions in the country. The study included 370 volunteer community-dwelling elderly people aged 65-88 years, both male and female. Investigations took into account the MNA, the activities of daily living, and the instrumental activities of daily living, falls, current diseases and lifestyle.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Approximately 57.8% of the participants were at risk of malnutrition, whereas 28.4% were malnourished according to the MNA scale. MNA scores were significantly lower (Student's t-test, P=0.03) in those with a fall history (MNA score 18.3±4.0) compared with those who did not (MNA score, 21.0±2.7). All the participants with malnutrition suffered from at least one chronic disease. The percentage of participants with dependency was significantly higher in the malnourished participants (87.6%) than in well-nourished participants (50.9%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings provide information that malnutrition is a serious health concern among elderly people in the city of Luozi, and shows the need for adequate nutrition and social programs for the elderly.
authors.affiliation: Division of Social Medicine, Department of Environmental Medicine, Kochi Medical School, Kochi University, Kochi, Japan. andersonbasilua@yahoo.fr
authors.forename: Muzembo Basilua
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Andre
authors.forename: Narongpon
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Dumavibhat
authors.forename: N'landu Roger
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Ngatu
authors.forename: Masamitsu
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Eitoku
authors.forename: Ryoji
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hirota
authors.forename: Narufumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Suganuma
mesh_terms: D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D003223:Congo / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009752:Nutritional Status