Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Tra Vinh University, Tra Vinh, Tra Vinh Province, Vietnam.
Department of Geriatrics, University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
Clin Interv Aging. 2023 Apr 26;18:677-688. doi: 10.2147/CIA.S405847. eCollection 2023.
Rural older adults are more likely to be malnourished than urban older adults, particularly those living in lower-middle-income countries like Vietnam. Therefore, this study aimed to address the prevalence of malnutrition and its association with frailty and health-related quality of life in older rural Vietnamese adults.
This cross-sectional study was conducted on community-dwelling older adults (aged ≥ 60 years) living in a rural province in Vietnam. Nutritional status was determined using the Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF), and frailty was evaluated using the FRAIL scale. The 36-Item Short Form Survey (SF-36) was used to evaluate health-related quality of life.
Among the 627 participants, 46 (7.3%) were malnourished (MNA-SF score <8), and 315 (50.2%) were at risk of malnutrition (MNA-SF score: 8-11). Individuals with malnutrition had significantly higher rates of impairments in instrumental activities of daily living and activities of daily living than those without malnutrition (47.8% vs 27.4% and 26.1% vs 8.7%, respectively). The prevalence of frailty was 13.5%. Risk of malnutrition and malnutrition were associated with high risks of frailty, with odds ratios of 2.14 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.16-3.93) and 4.78 (1.86-12.32), respectively. Furthermore, the MNA-SF score was positively correlated with eight domains of the health-related quality of life among rural older adults.
The prevalence rates of malnutrition, risk of malnutrition, and frailty were high among older adults in Vietnam. A strong association was observed between nutritional status and frailty. Therefore, this study reinforces the importance of screening for malnutrition and risk of malnutrition among older rural individuals. Further studies should explore whether early nutritional intervention reduces the risk of frailty among older adults and increase their health-related quality of life in the Vietnamese population.
与城市老年人相比，农村老年人更容易出现营养不良的情况，尤其是在越南等中低收入国家。因此，本研究旨在探讨越南农村老年人营养不良的流行情况及其与虚弱和健康相关生活质量的关系。
本横断面研究对象为居住在越南农村省份的社区老年人（年龄≥60 岁）。使用迷你营养评估简表（MNA-SF）评估营养状况，使用衰弱量表（FRAIL）评估虚弱程度。使用 36 项简明健康调查问卷（SF-36）评估健康相关生活质量。
在 627 名参与者中，有 46 名（7.3%）存在营养不良（MNA-SF 评分<8），315 名（50.2%）存在营养不良风险（MNA-SF 评分：8-11）。与无营养不良者相比，营养不良者在日常生活活动中的工具性活动和日常生活活动方面存在明显更高的受损率（分别为 47.8% vs. 27.4%和 26.1% vs. 8.7%）。衰弱的患病率为 13.5%。营养不良和风险以及营养不良与衰弱的高风险相关，优势比分别为 2.14（95%置信区间[CI]：1.16-3.93）和 4.78（1.86-12.32）。此外，MNA-SF 评分与农村老年人健康相关生活质量的八个领域呈正相关。
越南老年人中存在较高的营养不良、营养不良风险和衰弱的流行率。营养状况与虚弱之间存在很强的关联。因此，本研究强调了对农村老年人进行营养不良和风险筛查的重要性。进一步的研究应该探索早期营养干预是否可以降低老年人的衰弱风险，并提高越南老年人的健康相关生活质量。
