Prevalence of Malnutrition among Elderly People Living in a Rural Area of Nepal

Abstract

Introduction: Elderly population is more likely to suffer from malnutrition due to aging-associated factors that influence nutritional status like loss of appetite, swallowing difficulties, digestive problems, and chronic illness. There is insufficient information related to the nutritional status of the elderly in Nepal. Hence, this study aims to determine the prevalence of malnutrition among elderly people living in the rural area of the Kavrepalanchok district.
 Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 320 elderly people aged ≥60 years in a rural area of Kavre district from August to October 2019. Ethical approval was taken from the Institutional Review Committee (IRC-KUSMS: 68/19). Convenient sampling was done. Data analysis was performed using the Statistical Program for Social Sciences version 23.
 Results: The prevalence of malnutrition and risk of malnutrition was 37 (11.6%) and 159 (49.7%), respectively. Of 320 elderly persons, 193 (60.3%) males and 127 (39.7%) females, with a mean age of 68.23±7.38 years, participated in this study. The mean BMI was 22.54±3.25 kg/m2 (Mean±SD). The prevalence of malnutrition was higher among females 19 (15%) compared to males 18 (9.3%).
 Conclusions: The prevalence of malnutrition and risk of malnutrition is high in the study population. Interventions to improve the nutritional status of the elderly should focus primarily on older people, females, and those who have co-morbidities.

Effect of nutrition education intervention to improve dietary practice and nutritional status among the elderly in Ilu Aba Bor Zone, Southwest Ethiopia

“…Malnutrition can be used to describe an overall state of poor nutritional status, including under-nutrition and overnutrition of macronutrients. Malnutrition in the elderly further increases an individual's risk of developing general poor health or chronic diseases, such as hypertension, Type 2 diabetes mellitus, sarcopenia, and cardiovascular disease (4)(5)(6).The prevalence of malnutrition among elderly people in different countries of the world varies between 10% and 60% (7)(8)(9)(10). In Ethiopia, malnutrition is considerably prevalent among the elderly people and remaining one of the public health challenges(6-8, 11,12).Studies recommend that further nutrition education intervention is the best strategy to prevent and manage malnutrition among the elderly so that they can achieve a better quality of life and health as they age (13)(14)(15)(16).…”