The Nutritional Status of the Elderly and Their Associated Factors in Isfahan

Objectives: The aim of the current study is to determine the nutritional status of the elderly and their associated factors. Methods & Materials: Through a cross sectional study, elderlies nutritional state was evaluated by Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) questionnaire which was standardized for the Iranian population. It was filled for 248 randomly selected subjects (aged 60 and older) in Isfahan. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated the relationship between nutritional state and demographic factors. Results: Forty percent of elderly people were in inappropriate nutritional status. Of the subjects, 65.7% had a Body Mass Index (BMI) over 25. Educational level, income and BMI had a significant relation with nutrition. Logistic regression models showed high income (OR=3A CI95%=L5-7.5), high BMI (OR=7 CI95%=L6-31) and high educational level (OR=OA CI95%=023-0.77) which all were the effective factors on nutritional status, independently. Conclusion: Obtaining high percentage of malnutrition prevalence among elderly, and the possibility of suitable interventions on the most effective factors, the importance of paying attention to the elderly lifestyle found to be more clear.