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The Ability of Nutrition Screening Initiative DETERMINE Checklist (NSI) to Accurately Evaluate Short‐term Impact of Participation in Older Americans Act Nutrition Program among Vulnerable Older Georgians: Georgia Advanced Performance Outcomes Measures Project
Author(s) -
Lee Jung Sun,
Johnson Mary Ann,
Brown Arvine
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.24.1_supplement.93.3
Subject(s) - checklist , medicine , environmental health , meal , gerontology , food frequency questionnaire , healthy eating , demography , psychology , physical activity , physical therapy , pathology , sociology , cognitive psychology
The NSI is one of the most widely used tools for assessing nutrition risk in older adults. We examined whether the NSI would detect short‐term change in nutrition risk status among Georgians participating in the Older Americans Act Nutrition Program (OANNP). The sample included 351 new OAANP participants and waitlisted people who completed all NSI items and matching questions in 2 mail surveys conducted 4 months apart (mean age 74.7±9.0, 70.7% female). Mean baseline total NSI score (range 0–21) was 8.9±4.5 and 71.5% were at high nutrition risk. Over this 4 month period, the change in total NSI score and overall nutrition risk category were not significantly different by participation status. OAANP participants reported some favorable improvements in 2 NSI items (food security, eating few fruits and vegetables) compared to waitlisted people, but not in other NSI items most of which did not assess factors directly and sensitively related to receiving meal services. Also, the change patterns over the 4 month period in 3 food intake‐related NSI items and matching question pairs (eating <2 meals daily, eating few fruits and vegetables or dairy) showed poor to fair agreements (weighted κ: 0.0435–0.3741). Improving nutrition risk assessment tools could help to better evaluate nutrition risk and its change over time among vulnerable older adults receiving OAANP services. This study was funded in part by US AoA and USDA ERS.