Apathy and weight loss in nursing home residents: longitudinal study.
OBJECTIVE
Determine which behavioral syndromes of dementia are independently related to weight loss.


METHODS
Longitudinal study using four subsequent quarterly Minimum Data Set (MDS) 2.0 assessments. Characteristics obtained in one period were related to weight loss observed in the next period.


METHODS
Eight nursing homes in the Netherlands.


METHODS
The initial population was 2031 nursing home residents with four quarterly MDS assessments within a period of 15 months. We selected 1850 subjects who were at least 65 years old at the time of the first assessment and who were not comatose.


METHODS
Information about the presence of four behavioral syndromes (depression, apathy, agitation, and rejection of care), demographic data, cognition status, body mass index (BMI), and time that residents were involved in activities were obtained from MDS 2.0.


RESULTS
Bivariate correlation showed that weight loss at follow-up assessments was related to all baseline behavioral syndromes, degree of cognitive impairment, body mass index, and time that residents were involved in activities. Multivariable binary logistic regression with these factors showed that the only behavioral syndrome that was independently related to subsequent weight loss was apathy. In multivariable analysis, the degree of cognitive impairment and BMI were also independently related to weight loss.


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that of all behavioral factors we have assessed, apathy had the strongest association with weight loss in nursing home residents even when adjusted for the degree of cognitive impairment.
School of Aging Studies, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL, USA. lvolicer@cas.usf.edu
Ladislav
L
Volicer
Dinnus H M
DH
Frijters
Jenny T
JT
van der Steen
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D057565:Apathy; D015992:Body Mass Index; D060825:Cognitive Dysfunction / Q000453:epidemiology; D003863:Depression / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009735:Nursing Homes; D011595:Psychomotor Agitation / Q000453:epidemiology; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015431:Weight Loss