Análisis del estado nutricional y hábitos alimentarios en adultos mayores del “Hospital General Dr. Enrique Ortega Moreira del cantón Durán” del periodo mayo – abril 2024.

Abstract

Population aging is a phenomenon that affects the entire world and poses important challenges for public policies and health systems. However, malnutrition persists in this population. The objective of this study is to determine the nutritional status and eating habits of older adults at the “Hospital General Dr. Enrique Ortega Moreira” in the Durán canton. The present study is observational, descriptive, cross-sectional that had a sample of 86 participants. Nutritional assessment tools are applied to collect data, including the Mini Nutritional Assessment, Nutritional Risk Screening and Subjective Global Assessment. In addition, their eating habits were studied based on a frequent evaluation of food consumption. The results revealed that 12.79% of the older adults evaluated presented a moderate to severe risk of malnutrition according to the NRS-2002, while 36.05% showed risk of malnutrition and 2% malnutrition according to the MNA. Furthermore, it was found that the majority of older adults consumed cereals and derivatives regularly, while the consumption of fruits and vegetables was low, where 27% consumed fruits daily and 21% vegetables every day. Differences in eating habits were identified according to nutritional status, with a higher intake of caloric and processed foods in older adults with overweight or obesity. These findings highlight the importance of implementing nutritional interventions aimed at improving diet quality and preventing malnutrition in older adults.