title: Malnutrition in care home residents with dementia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the malnutrition prevalence in Dutch care home residents with dementia over the years. Secondly, to examine the relationship of malnutrition and dementia and the role of care dependency and co-morbidity within this relationship.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is a secondary analysis of data of the annual independent Dutch National Prevalence Measurement of Care Problems of Maastricht University. The design involves a cross-sectional, multicenter point prevalence measurement.
  
  
  METHODS
  Care homes.
  
  
  METHODS
  75399 residents older than 65 years (4523 resident with dementia) participated over 5 years (2006-2010). Sixty organizations measured 4 times, 31 organizations 3 times, 68 organizations 2 times, 511 organizations 1 time.
  
  
  METHODS
  A standardized questionnaire was used to register amongst others data of weight, height, nutritional intake, undesired weight loss, comorbidity, dementia, and care dependency.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The study was able to show that there is a significant decline in malnutrition prevalence in the group of non-demented residents over the years (Non-demented group p <0.001). The prevalence of malnutrition in the demented group showed no significant reduction over the years. GEE analysis showed that malnutrition and dementia are related and that care dependency and age are important influencing factors in this relation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results show that compared to the non-demented residents, the prevalence of malnutrition does not decline in demented care home residents over the years. Moreover, the findings of this study stress that malnutrition and dementia are related, while care dependency and age are confounding factors in this relationship.
authors.affiliation: Dr Judith M.M. Meijers, Department of Health Services Research, School for Public Health and Primary Care (CAPHRI), Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD Maastricht, the Netherlands, Tel. +31 43 38 81707 Fax +31 43 38 84162, j.meijers@maastrichtuniversity.nl.
authors.forename: J M M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Meijers
authors.forename: J M G A
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Schols
authors.forename: R J G
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Halfens
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001827:Body Height; D001835:Body Weight; D015897:Comorbidity; D015986:Confounding Factors, Epidemiologic; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003704:Dementia / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004435:Eating; D005260:Female; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology*; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D009735:Nursing Homes; D009752:Nutritional Status; D015995:Prevalence; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities; D015431:Weight Loss