Assessment of nutritional status of elderly population living at high altitude regions of India utilizing Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) methodology

Background: Malnutrition is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality amongst elderly population. There is lack of scientific evidence on the staus of malnutrition amongst elderly population residing at high altitude regions of Uttarakhand, India. Background: Malnutrition is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality amongst elderly population. Lack of scientific evidence exists on the status of malnutrition amongst elderly population residing at high altitude regions of Uttarakhand, India. Materials and methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in high altitude regions of District Nainital. A total of 980 elderly subjects were selected from 30 clusters identified using population proportionate to size sampling method. Nutritional status of the elderly population was assessed using Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) tool. Data was entered in MS Excel 2007 and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0. Results: The results of MNA revealed that 14.3% of the elderly subjects were malnourished. High prevalence of malnutrition was found among subjects who were illiterate (74.5%), financially dependent (75.2%), belonged to low monthly income (43.3%) had poor appetite (71.6%) and chewing problems (63.1%); (p<0.0001). Conclusions: High prevalence of malnutrition was present amongst the elderly population in India. There is a need for timely assessment of malnutrition for maintenance of nutritional status and prevention of chronic diseases. Materials and methods: A community based cross-sectional study was conducted in high altitude regions of District Nainital. A total of 980 elderly subjects were selected from 30 clusters identified using population proportionate to size sampling method. Nutritional status of the elderly population was assessed using Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) tool. Data was entered in MS Excel 2007 and analyzed using SPSS version 20.0.   Results: The results of MNA revealed that 14.3% of the elderly subjects were malnourished. High prevalence of malnutrition was found among subjects who were illiterate (74.5%), financially dependent (75.2%), belonged to low monthly income (43.3%) had poor appetite (71.6%) and chewing problems (63.1%); (p<0.0001).   Conclusions: High prevalence of malnutrition was present amongst the elderly population in India. There is a need for timely assessment of malnutrition for maintenance of nutritional status and prevention of chronic diseases

Prevalence of metabolic syndrome and associated risk factors among geriatric population living in a high altitude region of rural Uttarakhand, India

Introduction: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is responsible for 2.5-fold increase in cardiovascular mortality and a 5-fold higher risk of developing diabetes. Materials and Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted during 2015–2016 in District Nainital. A list of all villages was developed. From this list, thirty villages were identified using population proportionate to size sampling method. From each village, thirty geriatric subjects (GSs) were selected. The study population included 979 GSs aged 60 years and above. The data were collected on anthropometry, blood pressure, blood glucose, and lipid profile from all the enrolled subjects. The prevalence of MetS was estimated using International Diabetes Federation criteria. Univariate and multivariate analysis was done to identify factors associated with MetS. Results: The prevalence of MetS was found to be 28.6%. Step-wise multivariate logistic regression analysis found that female gender, higher income, and body mass index ≥25 were significant and independent risk factors of MetS amongst GP. Conclusion: There is a need for screening of GP living in high altitude region so that efforts can be initiated to prevent complications of MetS