P088 - PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF THE SENIOR (SUSTAINABLE EATING PATTERN TO LIMIT MALNUTRITION IN OLDER ADULTS) PROJECT

P088

PRELIMINARY RESULTS OF THE SENIOR (SUSTAINABLE EATING PATTERN TO LIMIT MALNUTRITION IN OLDER ADULTS) PROJECT

S. Santero^1,*, N. Madini¹, C. Ricciardi Rizzo¹, G. Viroli¹, A. Beretta¹, F. Magri^2,3, F. Coperchini², P. De Cata⁴, I. Ferrari⁴, A. G. Falchi⁴, A. Marchese⁴, H. Cena^1,5

¹Laboratory of Dietetics and Clinical Nutrition, Department of Public Health, Experimental and Forensic Medicine, ²Department of Internal Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Pavia, ³Unit of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Laboratory for Endocrine Disruptors, ⁴Unit of Internal Medicine, ⁵Clinical Nutrition Unit, Istituti Clinici Scientifici Maugeri IRCCS, Pavia, Italy

Rationale: Given the rapid ageing of the population and the higher risk of malnutrition in older adults, a further increase in the prevalence of malnutrition is expected, but updated Italian data are lacking. Thus, this cross-sectional study aims to map malnutrition and sarcopenia prevalence.

Methods: Older adults (≥ 65 years old) hospitalized were consecutively enrolled at Maugeri hospital in Pavia, Italy. The exclusion criteria were i) dysphagia, ii) terminal illness, iii) gastric bypass, iv) eating disorders, v) advanced liver failure, renal or lung failure, vi) active cancer, and vii) cognitive decline. Sociodemographic, Cumulative Illness Rating Scale and anthropometric variables, body composition, handgrip test and 4-m gait speed were assessed. Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool, criteria of the Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) and of the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People were applied.

Results: 101 hospitalized older adults (age range 73–83 years; 43.6% female) were enrolled. 27.7% were at low, 36.6% at medium and 29.7% at high risk of malnutrition. 37.6% were diagnosed with malnutrition, whose 16.8% were severe. 51.5% had probable sarcopenia, 26.7% sarcopenia of which 10.9% were severe. Body Mass Index median value was 27,7 kg/m2, with 27.3% affected by overweight, 39.4% by obesity and 5.05% by underweight⁶. Age was an independent factor for malnutrition (p=0.008); similarly, the CIRS comorbidity index was significantly associated and was an independent factor of malnutrition (p=0.014).

Conclusion: These findings highlight a lower undernutrition prevalence in a hospital setting than literature evidence. Moreover, people with malnutrition according to GLIM criteria are predominantly affected by overweight or obesity, suggesting the presence of a malnutrition phenotype characterized by excess body weight, distinct from the traditional undernourished model.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared