Malnutrition risk and hospitalization in elderly assisted in Primary Care/Risco de desnutricao e internacao hospitalar em idosos atendidos na Atencao Basica

• Published in: Ciência & saude coletiva Vol. 22; no. 2; pp. 575 - 582
• Main Authors: Rosa, Carolina Boettge, Garces, Solange Beatriz Billig, Hansen, Dinara, Brunelli, Angela Vieira, Bianchi, Patricia Dall'Agnol, Coser, Janaina, Krug, Marilia de Rosso, Schwanke, Carla Helena Augustin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Associacao Brasileira de Pos-Graduacao em Saude Coletiva - ABRASCO 01-02-2017
• Subjects: Brasil
• ISSN: 1413-8123; 1678-4561
• DOI: 10.1590/1413-81232017222.15732016

The aim of this study was to investigate the association of malnutrition risk and single items of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA[R]) with hospitalization in the last 12 months in the elderly assisted in primary care. A cross-sectional study was conducted with the evaluation of 1229 elderly persons assisted in Family Health Strategies in seven cities of South Brazil. Malnutrition risk was evaluated using the MNA[R], and hospitalization was determined by one question of the Probability of Repeated Admission (PRA) instrument. Most of the elderly were women (61.7%), with a mean age of 71.7 [+ or -] 7.7 years. The malnutrition risk rate was 23.3% and hospitalization was 32.9%. The frequency of malnutrition and risk of malnutrition was two times greater among the elderly who were hospitalized (36.8 versus 18.6%--P < 0.001). There was a significant association between hospitalization and 11 (64.7%) of the 17 items on the MNA[R] evaluated (P < 0.05). Of these, seven items were independently associated with hospitalization by multivariate analysis. We observed an association of malnutrition risk and most of the single MNA[R] items as well, with hospitalization in the elderly assisted in primary care.