Association between Functional Capacity Decline and Nutritional Status Based on the Nutrition Screening Initiative Checklist: A 2-Year Cohort Study of Japanese Community-Dwelling Elderly.
OBJECTIVE
To assess whether nutritional status based on the Nutrition Screening Initiative Checklist is useful for predicting functional capacity decline in community-dwelling Japanese elderly.


METHODS
This two-year observational cohort study included 536 community-dwelling Japanese (65 years and older at baseline) who were independent in both activities and instrumental activities of daily living. Demographic attributes, chronic illness, lifestyle-related habits, nutritional status, functional capacity, and anthropometric measurements were assessed, with decline in functional capacity used as the outcome measure.


RESULTS
Subjects were classified into three groups as follows based on the Nutrition Screening Initiative Checklist: low (59.5%), moderate (23.7%), and high (16.8%) nutritional risk. Significant differences were found between nutritional status and the following four baseline variables: age, hypertension, cerebrovascular diseases, and current smoking. However, no significant differences were evident between nutritional status and sex, body mass index, diabetes, drinking habit, or exercise habit. Logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, body mass index, hypertension, cerebrovascular diseases and smoking habit showed that the high nutritional risk group was significantly associated with a decline in both activities of daily living (odds ratio: 4.96; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.59-15.50) and instrumental activities of daily living (OR: 2.58; 95% CI: 1.31-5.06) compared with the low nutritional risk group.


CONCLUSIONS
Poor nutritional status based on the Nutrition Screening Initiative Checklist was associated with a decline in functional capacity over a 2-year period in community-dwelling Japanese elderly. These results suggest that the Nutrition Screening Initiative Checklist is a suitable tool for predicting functional capacity decline in community-dwelling elderly.
Medical Corporation Hatsunekai Sugiura Clinic, Kariya City, Aichi, Japan.
Yumiko
Y
Sugiura
Departments of Internal Medicine (I), Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki City, Osaka, Japan.
Yoshimi
Y
Tanimoto
Departments of Internal Medicine (I), Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki City, Osaka, Japan.
Ayumi
A
Imbe
Departments of Internal Medicine (I), Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki City, Osaka, Japan.
Yuiko
Y
Inaba
Departments of Internal Medicine (I), Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki City, Osaka, Japan.
Satoshi
S
Sakai
Departments of Internal Medicine (I), Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki City, Osaka, Japan.
Kanako
K
Shishikura
Departments of Internal Medicine (I), Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki City, Osaka, Japan.
Keiji
K
Tanimoto
Departments of Internal Medicine (I), Osaka Medical College, Takatsuki City, Osaka, Japan.
Toshiaki
T
Hanafusa
D000203:Activities of Daily Living; D000368:Aged; D057189:Checklist; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D015577:Geriatric Assessment / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008019:Life Style; D008297:Male; D015596:Nutrition Assessment; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D009752:Nutritional Status