The association between the ‘at risk of developing undernutrition’ category of the Short Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire 65+ and incident undernutrition in community-dwelling older adults

• Published in: Clinical nutrition ESPEN 2024-08, Vol.62, p.137-143
• Main Authors: van Beek, S.W., Wijnhoven, H.A., Visser, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; Aged, 80 and over; arm circumference; clinical nutrition; Elderly; Female; females; Geriatric Assessment - methods; Humans; Incidence; Independent Living; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Malnutrition; Malnutrition - diagnosis; Malnutrition - epidemiology; Nutrition Assessment; Nutritional Status; odds ratio; Prospective; Prospective Studies; questionnaires; risk; Risk Factors; Screening tool; Surveys and Questionnaires; weight loss
• ISSN: 2405-4577; 2405-4577
• DOI: 10.1016/j.clnesp.2024.05.007

Screening tools like the Short Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire 65+ (SNAQ65+) have been developed for the early recognition of undernutrition in older adults. The SNAQ65+ screens for being undernourished (red), being ‘at risk of developing undernutrition’ (i.e. ‘at risk’, orange), or ‘not at risk’ (green). This study investigated whether community-dwelling older adults ‘at risk’ (orange) are more likely to develop undernutrition during a 3-year follow-up compared to those ‘not at risk’ (green). Prospective data from a Longitudinal Aging Study were used. A total of 5461 observations, using multiple 3-year waves of participants aged ≥65 years with an orange or green baseline score were included. Logistic mixed models were used to assess the association with four indicators of incident undernutrition at 3-year follow-up: (1) red SNAQ65+ score (mid upper arm circumference (MUAC)