Nutritional status of institutionalized elderly Brazilians: a study with the Mini Nutritional Assessment.

Objective: To assess the nutritional status of elderly living in nursing homes in the city of Salvador, Brazil and associated factors.

Methods: Cross-sectional study performed with 359 individuals of both sexes, ages equal or over 60 years old, located in Nursing Homes in the urban area of the city of Salvador, Bahia, Brazil.

Results: Regarding nutritional status according to Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA), 66.3% of the evaluated elderly were malnourished and at risk of malnutrition. When comparing sexes, it has been observed that among men the prevalence of this condition (76.6%) was higher than in women (62.4%). It has been observed, as a result of the multivariate analysis, that only the variable functional capacity for Activities of Daily Living (ADL) was statistically significant. There was moderate correlation between MNA and Mini-Mental State Examination (r=0.454; p<0.0001), as well as between MNA and the ADL scale (r=0.569; p<0.0001). There was weak negative correlation between MNA total score and age (r=0.159; p=0.002).

Conclusion: Malnutrition and malnutrition risk were conditions of remarkable importance, with almost two-thirds of the elderly in this situation. ADL functional capacity must be monitored given their close relationship with the nutritional status of the elderly. An interdisciplinary approach in the context of institutionalization is needed due to the association between nutritional status and variables of different dimensions.