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Nutritional assessment of elderly Japanese nursing home residents of differing mobility using anthropometric measurements, biochemical indicators and food intake
Author(s) -
Tajima Orie,
Nagura Eiichi,
IshikawaTakata Kazuko,
Furumoto Satoko,
Ohta Toshiki
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
geriatrics and gerontology international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.823
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 1447-0594
pISSN - 1444-1586
DOI - 10.1111/j.1447-0594.2004.00128.x
Subject(s) - medicine , anthropometry , malnutrition , body mass index , population , hemoglobin , albumin , triglyceride , physiology , gerontology , cholesterol , environmental health
Background: Awareness and evaluation of individual nutritional status are required for optimal support of the elderly population. A Japanese Anthropometric Reference Data ( JARD 2001) was established as a new gold standard, however, its utility for very frail elderly with differing mobility and the relationship with biochemical parameters and food intake remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible relationship between nutritional status and mobility deficits in Japanese nursing home residents, and to compare the ability of JARD 2001 to detect malnutrition with other indicators. Methods: In 130 Japanese nursing home residents (26 men, 104 women; mean age 82.2 ± 9.0 years), anthropometric measurements (body mass index, mid‐arm circumference, triceps skinfold thickness and calf circumference), serum markers (albumin, total protein, prealbumin, retinol binding protein, total cholesterol, HDL‐cholesterol, triglyceride, white blood cells, erythrocyte, hemoglobin and lymphocytes) and food intake were assessed. The nutritional indicators were compared among categories according to severity of mobility deficits, and the ability to detect malnutrition was examined in each parameter. Results: The bedridden elderly had significantly lower nutritional indicators, including anthropometric indexes, albumin, HDL‐cholesterol and food intake, compared with other elderly who can move with or without a wheelchair. When protein‐energy malnutrition was defined as below 1.2 g/kg/day protein intake, 36.7% of the residents were considered to have an intake deficiency. The JARD 2001 was better able to identify the deficiency than albumin level in the independent and the chair‐bound, while albumin could detect the malnourished subjects more sensitively than anthropometric measurements in the bedridden. Conclusion: Poor nutritional indicators could relate with mobility deficits among institutionalized Japanese frail elderly. The ability of indicators to detect malnutrition diverged with the severity of mobility deficits. The JARD 2001 criteria should be adopted for the elderly with at least an ability to move about by wheelchair, and appropriate anthropometric reference standards for very frail people must be reconsidered.