Mealtime habits and meal provision are associated with malnutrition among elderly patients admitted to hospital.

BACKGROUND & AIMS Large-scale studies performed in hospitals with the validated Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) tool are scarce. However, factors associated with malnutrition are important for identifying individuals at risk. The aims of the present study were to estimate the prevalence of malnutrition and to examine the association between mealtime habits, meal provision, and malnutrition among elderly patients admitted to hospital. METHODS This cross-sectional study included patients aged ≥65 years admitted to internal medicine, surgical or orthopaedic wards. The MNA was used for their nutritional assessment, and factors potentially associated with malnutrition were recorded. RESULTS Of 1771 patients (mean age 78 years), 35.5% were well-nourished, 55.1% were at risk of malnutrition and 9.4% were malnourished. Overnight fasts exceeding 11 h, fewer than four eating episodes a day, and not cooking independently were associated with both malnutrition and risk of malnutrition. CONCLUSIONS The risk of malnutrition was high among elderly patients admitted to hospital, whereas the proportion with fully developed malnutrition was lower than expected. A long overnight fast, few eating episodes, and not cooking independently were associated with an increased risk of malnutrition. Knowledge of these factors when providing care to the elderly may assist health-care professionals to prevent malnutrition.