Adelaide Geriatrics Training & Research with Aged Care (GTRAC) Centre, Adelaide Medical School, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia.
School of Nursing, Eastern International University, Binh Duong, Vietnam.
Int J Evid Based Healthc. 2018 Mar;16(1):73-80. doi: 10.1097/XEB.0000000000000124.
Nutrition is vital for health, and undernutrition can compromise physical and mental wellbeing. The prevalence of undernutrition among older community-dwelling adults attending general practice in Australia is not readily known.
The aims of the study were to determine the prevalence of malnutrition of the elderly in Australian general practice, to assess malnutrition-related factors and to describe the older people's perception about nutrition.
The study sample comprised 60 older people aged 75 years and above attending one general practice in South Australia.
The combination of qualitative and quantitative data provided a more complete account of nutrition and its meaning for the older person.
Three commonly used, validated nutritional screening tools were useful in determining undernutrition between 15 and 20% in a community population. One screening tool determined a 62% incidence of nutritional risk. Health characteristics determined almost 75% of participants identified at oral health risk. Frailty, medications and chronic disease were identified as factors associated with nutritional risk. Examination of older persons' perceptions about nutrition and wellbeing identified two major themes: older people have nutritional awareness but lack details, especially in relation to the benefits of protein intake, and there is limited awareness on the health benefits of good nutrition.
This study confirms that nutritional risk is common in general practice. Understanding older person's perceptions of good nutrition is vital to be able to effectively change their nutritional status and plan amenable interventions. Screening practices with valid and reliable screening tools are imperative to ensure appropriate identification and management of older people at risk.
WHAT THIS ARTICLE ADDS.
营养对于健康至关重要，营养不良会损害身心健康。在澳大利亚，社区居住的老年人群体中，前往普通诊所就诊的患者营养不良的普遍程度尚不清楚。
本研究旨在确定澳大利亚普通诊所中老年人群的营养不良患病率，评估与营养不良相关的因素，并描述老年人对营养的看法。
研究样本包括南澳大利亚州一家普通诊所的 60 名 75 岁及以上的老年人。
定性和定量数据的结合提供了对营养及其对老年人意义的更全面了解。
三种常用的、经过验证的营养筛查工具可用于确定社区人群中 15%至 20%的营养不良情况。一种筛查工具确定了 62%的营养风险发生率。健康特征确定了近 75%的口腔健康风险参与者。衰弱、药物和慢性疾病被确定为与营养风险相关的因素。对老年人对营养和健康的看法进行检查，确定了两个主要主题：老年人有营养意识，但缺乏细节，尤其是在蛋白质摄入的益处方面，并且对良好营养的健康益处的认识有限。
本研究证实，营养风险在普通诊所中很常见。了解老年人对良好营养的看法对于有效改变他们的营养状况和制定可行的干预措施至关重要。使用有效且可靠的筛查工具进行筛查实践对于确保识别和管理有风险的老年人非常重要。
本文的补充内容。
