2Artova Family Health Center, Family Medicine, Tokat, Turkey DOI : 10.29400/tjgeri.2023.368 Introduction: Malnutrition is a serious health problem that threatens the health of individuals, with a prevalence rate of 5?15% among communitydwelling elderly people. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of malnutrition among community-dwelling elderly people in primary care using the Mini Nutritional Assessment test and to analyse its relationship with sociodemographic characteristics and geriatric syndromes.
Materials and Method: Data of 248 out of 826 elderly patients registered at family medicine centers were analyzed. Malnutrition was assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment test, and sociodemographic characteristics and geriatric syndromes were assessed using an interviewer-administered questionnaire.
Results: This study included 248 participants aged 72.51±5.85 years, 50.4% (n=125) of whom were males. The Mini Nutritional Assessment results showed that 85.9% (n=213) had a normal nutritional status and 14.1% (n=35) were malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. Malnutrition was statistically significantly associated with income status (p =0.003), body mass index (p =0.002), hearing and vision loss (p =0.011; p ?0.049, respectively), history of falls (p =0.001), oral health (p =0.001), and polypharmacy (p =0.010).
Conclusion: Malnutrition rates are low among community-based elderly individuals in family medicine centers. To prevent malnutrition and its related diseases, family medicine physicians play an important role in facilitating early screening, and thus minimizing the risk of increased malnutrition rates increase and irreversible damage. So Mini Nutritional Assessment should be applied at primary health care.
Keywords : Malnutrition; Aged; Primary Health Care