Malnutrition risk and hospitalization in elderly assisted in Primary Care

• Main Authors: Carolina Böettge Rosa, Solange Beatriz Billig Garces, Dinara Hansen, Ângela Vieira Brunelli, Patrícia Dall’Agnol Bianchi, Janaina Coser, Marília de Rosso Krug, Carla Helena Augustin Schwanke
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Associação Brasileira de Pós-Graduação em Saúde Coletiva
• Series: Ciência & Saúde Coletiva
• Subjects: Desnutrição; Avaliação nutricional; Idoso; Hospitalização; Atenção primária à saúde
• Online Access: http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S1413-81232017000200575&lng=en&tlng=en

Abstract The aim of this study was to investigate the association of malnutrition risk and single items of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA®) with hospitalization in the last 12 months in the elderly assisted in primary care. A cross-sectional study was conducted with the evaluation of 1229 elderly persons assisted in Family Health Strategies in seven cities of South Brazil. Malnutrition risk was evaluated using the MNA®, and hospitalization was determined by one question of the Probability of Repeated Admission (PRA) instrument. Most of the elderly were women (61.7%), with a mean age of 71.7 ± 7.7 years. The malnutrition risk rate was 23.3% and hospitalization was 32.9%. The frequency of malnutrition and risk of malnutrition was two times greater among the elderly who were hospitalized (36.8 versus 18.6% - P < 0.001). There was a significant association between hospitalization and 11 (64.7%) of the 17 items on the MNA® evaluated (P < 0.05). Of these, seven items were independently associated with hospitalization by multivariate analysis. We observed an association of malnutrition risk and most of the single MNA® items as well, with hospitalization in the elderly assisted in primary care.