Systematic literature review of randomized control trials assessing the effectiveness of nutrition interventions in community-dwelling older adults.

OBJECTIVE

Nutrition interventions may play an important role in maintaining the health and quality of life in community-dwelling older adults. To the authors' knowledge, no systematic literature review has been conducted on the effectiveness of nutrition interventions in the community-dwelling older adult population.

DESIGN

Systematic literature review followed by descriptive data extraction and critical appraisals for studies meeting inclusion criteria.

SETTING

Medical Literature and Retrieval System Online (MEDLINE) and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) search for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessing nutrition interventions in community-dwelling older adults.

PARTICIPANTS

Fifteen RCTs involving nutrition-related outcomes in community-dwelling older adults.

ANALYSIS

Descriptive data extraction and critical appraisals using the Jaded scale. Outcome measures included study blinding, allocation concealment, intention-to-treat analysis, and a priori calculations.

RESULTS

Ten RCTs involved nutrition counseling, education, or dietary advice, whereas 5 involved nutrition supplements. Jaded scores ranged from 1 (n = 8) to 2 (n = 4) to 4 (n = 3). Ten RCTs reported positive results post-intervention.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Nutrition counseling interventions involving active participation and collaboration showed the most promise in affecting positive nutrition-related outcomes in community-dwelling older adults. Future research should determine which nutrition interventions will benefit community-dwelling older adults with less active participation and health perceptions, and lower educational attainment.