Predicting the value of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) as an indicator of functional ability in older Iranian adults (Kahrizak elderly study).

OBJECTIVE We aimed to investigate the appropriateness of the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) in predicting functional ability in older adults. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Participants were recruited from the Kahrizak Charity Foundation (KCF). MEASUREMENTS Nutritional and ability status were examined using the MNA and the Barthel Index (BI). Participants were divided according to MNA (≤ 23.5 and > 23.5). RESULTS Two hundred and thirty-five ≥ 60-year-old subjects were studied. The MNA and BI were positively correlated (r = 0.199; P = 0.001). The optimal cut-off point for BI with the highest sensitivity and specificity derived from the ROC curve was approximately 91.5 for males and 83.5 for females. The BI was significantly associated with MNA (odds ratio (OR): 1.89; 95% CI: 1.17-3.05, P = 0.009), mobility (OR: 6.39; 95% CI: 3.43-11.89, P < 0.001), consuming ≥ 2 servings of fruit and vegetables (OR: 2.27; 95% CI: 1.09-4.72, P = 0.02) and self-view of nutritional status (OR: 4.15; 95%CI: 1.26-13.63, P = 0.01). The sensitivity (62.9% in males; 68.2% in females) and specificity (51.4% in males and 52.9% in females) of these cut-off points justifies the appropriateness of the MNA for determining functional ability. CONCLUSION The MNA is potentially able to verify functional status among the elderly (as BI ≥ 91.5 with those of < 91.5 in males and ≥ 83.5 with those of < 83.5 in females) of KCF. It is suggested that this relationship should be further studied in a larger prospective population-based study.