The short-form mini-nutritional assessment is as effective as the full-mini nutritional assessment in predicting follow-up 4-year mortality in elderly Taiwanese.

OBJECTIVE

To compare the mortality-predictive ability of the full- and short-form (SF) Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA).

DESIGN

A prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Population-representative sample.

PARTICIPANTS

2872 ≥65-year old men and women.

MEASUREMENTS

The study analyzed 1999 and 2003 datasets of the Taiwan Longitudinal Survey on Aging (TLSA). Subjects were graded for nutritional status with the full-MNA and MNA-SF of a Taiwanese-specific version (T2, containing calf circumference instead of BMI) at baseline (1999) and tracked their survival status for 4 years. Mortality-predictive abilities of the full-MNA and MNA-SF were compared using Cox regression analysis and Net Reclassification Improvement (NRI).

RESULTS

The full-MNA and MNA-SF have comparable abilities in predicting follow-up 4-year mortality risk according to the hazard ratios (all p<0.001) and Akaike information criterion (AIC). It also showed a slight improvement (not significant) if the full-MNA in a predictive model was replaced by the MNA-SF (NRI=0.09%, p=0.956).

CONCLUSION

The MNA-SF has at least comparable or even slightly better ability in predicting follow-up 4-year mortality risk of elderly Taiwanese. Results suggest that MNA-SF with calf circumference may possess some basic characteristics of a comprehensive and universal geriatric screening scale.