Globally, the number of minority ethnic groups in high-income countries is increasing. However, despite this demographic change, most national food consumption surveys are not representative of ethnically diverse populations. In consequence, many ethnic minorities' dietary intakes are underreported, meaning that accurate analysis of food intake and nutrient status among these groups is not possible.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Malnutrition negatively impacts on health, quality of life and disease outcomes in older adults. The reported factors associated with, and determinants of malnutrition, are inconsistent between studies. These factors may vary according to differences in rate of ageing.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground & Aim: Protein-energy malnutrition is under-recognised in the community despite being common in older adults due to physiological and social changes which are often compounded by chronic disease. This qualitative study aimed to explore the opinions of healthcare professionals (HCPs) working in the primary care and community settings about the management of malnutrition and the prescription of oral nutritional supplements (ONS), often included in the treatment of malnutrition.
Methods: Twelve healthcare professional (HCP) focus groups with 75 participants were conducted: community dietitians (n = 17), registered dietitians working in industry (n = 5), community and residential care nurses (n = 22), physiotherapists (n = 12), pharmacists (n = 9), occupational therapists (n = 6) and speech and language therapists (n = 4).
Background: Malnutrition affects approximately 20% of older adult populations in Europe, yet their views on the condition are rarely explored. This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of older adults living with malnutrition and prescribed oral nutritional supplements in the community setting.
Methods: Semi-structured individual interviews were used to collect data from 13 community-dwelling individuals aged ≥60 years with a current or previous prescription for oral nutritional supplements.
Background: Language and communication have an impact on how a clinical condition is treated and experienced, from both the health care professional (HCP) and patient perspective. Malnutrition is prevalent among community-dwelling older adults, yet perceptions of patient understanding of the term malnutrition to date remain underexplored.
Objective: This qualitative study explored the use and perceptions of the term malnutrition among HCPs and older adults at risk of malnutrition.
Older adults are at risk of protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). PEM detrimentally impacts on health, cognitive and physical functioning and quality of life. Given these negative health outcomes in the context of an ageing global population, the Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life Joint Programming Initiative Malnutrition in the Elderly (MaNuEL) sought to create a knowledge hub on malnutrition in older adults.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFOlder adults are at increased risk of malnutrition, which is associated with poorer health, quality of life, and worse disease outcomes. This study identifies predictors of incident malnutrition using data from a subsample (n = 1,841) of The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing. Participants were excluded if they were less than 65 years, missing body mass index data at baseline or follow-up, missing baseline weight loss data or malnourished at baseline (body mass index <20 kg/m2 or unplanned weight loss ≥4.
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