Nutritional status among elderly inpatients in Hubei province

Objective To assess nutritional status and its influencing factors among senile inpatients in Hubei province and to provide references for rational nutrition support in elderly patients.Methods We selected 4 946 elderly patients(aged 60-86 years) hospitalized in general hospitals in 5 prefectures in Hubei province from May through December 2014 using stratified random sampling and assessed nutritional status of the elderly inpatients with physical examination and laboratory test based on the criteria of nutrition risk screening(NRS),2012.Results The obesity rate were 34.16% and 15.44% for the inpatients from urban and rural areas,with a statistically significant difference(χ²=30.47,P<0.05).Among the elderly inpatients,53.62% were at a risk of malnutrition based on NRS assessment;44.54% had anemia;and the abnormal rates were 53.98% for serum total protein(TP),59.12% for blood albumin(ALB),43.17% for total lymphocyte count(TLC),and 39.39% for red blood cell count,respectively.There were significant differences in the rate of anemia and abnormal rates of TP,ALB,and RBC between the inpatients from urban and rural areas(χ²=21.72,32.85,38.23,and 21.07;all P<0.05).Conclusion With the increment of age,rural elderly inpatients have an increased risk of malnutrition than urban elderly inpatients in Hubei province,suggesting more attentions should be paid to nutrition status of rural elderly inpatients.