Anthropometric status and nutritional risks of older adults in Umuahia metropolis, Abia state Nigeria

Abstract

Background: A thorough nutritional assessment is necessary for successful diagnosis and development of appropriate/comprehensive treatment plans for malnutrition among older adults.  Objective: This study assessed the anthropometric status and nutritional risks of older persons in Umuahia Metropolis, Abia state. Methods: The study was descriptive cross-sectional in design. A two-stage sampling technique was used to select 305 respondents. A structured questionnaire was used to elicit information on the relevant characteristics.  Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) form and Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST) were used to categorize the respondents’ nutritional risk. Anthropometric values were compared with their standard recommendations. Descriptive statistics were computed for the categorical and continuous variables using SPSS version 25 Results: The study findings revealed that a good number (44.3%) of the older persons in the study area were between 60-64years, had family size of 4-6 members and earned income between N30,000 -50,000 (50.8%) and above N50,000 (45.9%). Majority of the respondents were normal or at low risk of nutrition using MNA (89.2%) and MUST (93.4%) classification. Similarly, most of the older adults had normal body mass index (74.4%), mid upper arm circumference (88.9%), waist hip ratio (65.2%) and calf circumference (85.6%) status. Conclusion: This study revealed that the respondents had normal/safe nutritional and health status using the various anthropometry and malnutrition assessment scales. Therefore, efforts to maintain healthy nutritional status and improve the socio-economic profile of older adults should be encouraged.