Nutritional Status among Portuguese and Turkish Older Adults Living in the Community: Relationships with Sociodemographic, Health and Anthropometric Characteristics

• Published in: Nutrients 2023-03, Vol.15 (6), p.1333
• Main Authors: Öztürk, Meryem Elif, Poínhos, Rui, Afonso, Cláudia, Ayhan, Nurcan Yabancı, de Almeida, Maria Daniel Vaz, Oliveira, Bruno M P M
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Aged; Anemia; Anthropometry; Body mass index; Body measurements; Cardiovascular diseases; Cross-Sectional Studies; Dementia; Demographic aspects; Dental materials; Dentures; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus; Female; Food and nutrition; Geriatric Assessment; Health aspects; Humans; Hypertension; Hypertension - epidemiology; Institutionalization; Kidney diseases; Male; Malnutrition; Malnutrition - epidemiology; Nutrition Assessment; Nutritional Status; Older people; Portugal - epidemiology; Prescription drugs; Pressure ulcers; Prostheses; Risk factors; Self image; Social aspects; Sociodemographics; Socioeconomic factors; Statistics; Teeth; Tooth Loss - epidemiology; Turkey - epidemiology
• ISSN: 2072-6643; 2072-6643
• DOI: 10.3390/nu15061333

Malnutrition is widespread among older adults, and its determinants may differ between countries. We compared Portuguese and Turkish non-institutionalized older adults regarding nutritional status, sociodemographic, health and anthropometric characteristics and studied the relationships between nutritional status and those characteristics. This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 430 Portuguese and 162 Turkish non-institutionalized older adults regarding sociodemographics, health conditions, the Mini-Nutritional Assessment (MNA-FF) and anthropometry. Turkish older adults were more likely to be malnourished or at risk of malnutrition and had lower average BMI but a higher calf circumference. A higher proportion of the Portuguese sample had tooth loss, diabetes, hypertension, oncologic diseases, kidney diseases, osteoarticular problems or eye problems, while less had anemia. A better nutritional status (higher MNA-FF score) was found among the Portuguese, males, people using dentures, those without tooth loss, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, anemia or oncological diseases and was related to younger age, higher BMI and a higher calf circumference. Malnutrition and its risk were higher among older adults from Turkey, despite Portuguese older adults presenting a higher prevalence of chronic diseases. Being female, older age, tooth loss, hypertension, anemia, CVD or oncological disorders and having a lower BMI or CC were associated with higher rates of malnutrition among older adults from Portugal and Turkey.