Appetite, oral frailty, and nutritional status of nursing home residents: Descriptive cross-sectional study

Background and aims: International studies have suggested that poor appetite, poor oral health, and oral frailty are common among older adults in nursing homes and can affect food intake and nutritional status. Adequate nutritional status is imperative for both health and quality of life; thus, deteriorating nutritional status can affect individuals' mental and physical abilities. The study aims to investigate the prevalence of appetite, oral frailty, and the nutritional status of older people in nursing homes. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a nursing home in South Iceland. A total of 64 participants took part, of whom 32 were women and 32 were men, and the average age was 83 years. Appetite was assessed by the Council on Nutrition Appetite Questionnaire (CNAQ), oral frailty by the Screening for Oral Frailty Tool (SOFT), malnutrition risk by the LSH Screening Sheet for Malnutrition (SSM), and nutritional status by Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). Protein and energy intake were estimated from a seven-day nursing home menu and compared with the estimated individual energy and protein needs. Results: Approximately 77% of participants were at a healthy weight or BMI > 23 kg/m². The prevalence of oral frailty reached 45%, and 59% of participants had fewer than 20 teeth, indicating substantial oral health impairments within the cohort. Oral frailty showed moderate, statistically significant associations with both gender and oral health, with increased risk of oral frailty among females (31%, n = 20, p = 0.005) and denture wearers (69% vs. 29%, p = 0.001). Assessment of nutritional status using the MNA showed that 56% were at risk of malnutrition and 5% were at high risk. According to the Icelandic Malnutrition Screening List, about 25% of participants had a medium or high risk of malnutrition. Appetite, assessed by CNAQ, was good in 58% of participants. The seven-day menu provided an average of 1865 kcal/day and 80 g protein/day; however, only a minority of residents met their estimated energy and protein requirements. Conclusions: Decreased appetite and indicators of oral frailty were common among nursing home residents in the current study. Results point to the importance of assessing appetite and oral frailty alongside nutritional status in older adults in nursing homes.

Author dc:creator

• Kristín Una Hólmarsdóttir 2001-

Contributors dc:contributor

• Háskóli Íslands

• Næringarfræði
• Aldraðir
• Hjúkrunarheimili
• Matarlyst
• Næringarskortur

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

https://hdl.handle.net/1946/53132

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:skemman.is:1946/53132