Abstract:
Senior citizens in a country like Sri Lanka account for a considerable quota
of community health because they are more susceptible to health problems.
Therefore, we need to reflect on their health status and nutritional status. The
aim of this study was to evaluate the nutritional status and associated factors
among inmates of selected elders‟ homes in Galle district. A descriptive,
cross-sectional study was conducted among 169 institutionalized older
persons from selected elders‟ homes in Galle district. An interviewer administered questionnaire was used to collect information on the study
variables and the nutritional status was assessed using the Mini Nutritional
Assessment (MNA) questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical
software package. The study participants had a mean age of 72.38±10.63
years: of them 71.8% were females and 28.2% were males. According to
MNA, 44.4% of them were malnourished, 46.1% were at risk for
malnutrition and only 9.5% were well nourished. The factors associated with
poor nutritional status included presence of mental health problems,
problems of gastro-intestinal tract and a high cholesterol level (p<0.05). In
addition, eating dependency and mobility dependency were significantly
associated with poor nutritional status (p<0.01). The age and gender of
inmates and being in a crowded home (>30 inmates) were not associated
with their nutritional status. This study reveals that the nutritional status is
not satisfactory among the inmates of elders‟ homes in Galle and is affected
by many health related factors. Regular nutritional screening and correction
of health problems will be beneficial to improve their nutritional status.
