P093 - EXAMINATION OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS, SARCOPENIA AND DIETARY FACTORS IN OLDER ADULTS

P093

EXAMINATION OF NUTRITIONAL STATUS, SARCOPENIA AND DIETARY FACTORS IN OLDER ADULTS

Z. Breitenbach^1,*, E. Bozóki¹, É. Polyák¹

¹Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Pécs, Pécs, Hungary

Rationale:  Malnutrition is regarded as one important contributing factor in the complex etiology of sarcopenia and frailty. Older persons are at increased risk of malnutrition.

Methods: We included elderly people aged 65 years and over (n=100) in our study from February 2024 to March 2024 by face-to-face interviews. We used a self-designed questionnaire with sociodemographic, disease and nutrition-related questions, Sarcopenia Screening Questionnaire (SARC-F), Frailty Index For Elders (FIFE) and Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNA-SF). We measured body weight, body composition (OMRON BF511), handgrip and calf circumference. For our statistical analysis, we performed descriptive statistics, correlation, linear regression, Fisher's exact and Mann-Whitney tests using IBM SPSS Statistics 27 software (p<0.05).

Results: The average age of the elderly was 80.00±7.11 years and their body mass index were 26.89±5.38 kg/m². Multimorbidity and polypharmacy were detected in 41% and 30% of participants. According to the SARC-F, 42 people had sarcopenia, but based on the European Working Group on Sarcopenia in the Elderly 2019 guideline, 10 patients had a true muscle wasting. 23% of our participants already had the presence of frailty, while 55% had some of the symptoms by FIFE. Based on MNA-SF, 18% were at risk of malnutrition, 2% had undernutrition. There was a positive moderately strong correlation between the total FIFE and SARC-F scores and skeletal muscle percentage (r=0.53, p<0.01). Residents of nursing home consumed less frequently margarine (p=0.01), butter (p=0.04), raw fruit (p<0.01) and pastries (p=0.02) than people living in day care. 

Conclusion: By monitoring the symptoms of geriatric syndrome and providing an appropriate nutritional therapy, the rate of subsequent deterioration and quality of life could be significantly improved.

Disclosure of Interest: None declared