Relationship of Health Status and Micronutrients Level With Nutritional Status of the Elderly With Psychological Disorders

Objectives:

 Elderly with psychological disorders are at risk of malnutrition. Investigating the nutritional status and identifying the effective factors among the preventive and control measures. This study aims to investigate the nutritional status and its relationship with health status and micronutrients level in older people with psychological disorders.

Methods & Materials:

 In this cross-sectional survey, 101 older people admitted to Razi Psychiatric Hospital in Tehran, Iran in 2018 participated. The data were collected after blood sampling and assessing body mass index (BMI) using a demographic form, the Mini Nutritional Assessment tool and a health status questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed by the chi-square test, ANOVA and logistic regression analysis in SPSS v. 21.

Results:

 Almost three-quarters of the participants had an abnormal nutritional status. The results showed that the nutritional status of participants had a significant relationship with dental health status, physical activity, the serum levels of vitamin D and vitamin B12, and BMI (P<0.05). After logistic analysis, vitamin B12 level (OR=1.007, 95% CI: 1.002-1.012), physical activity (OR=8.539, 95%CI: 1.142-63.85) and dental health status (OR=23.119, 95%CI:1.401-38.788) were reported as the predictors of nutritional status. It was reported that 95% of the elderly had vitamin D deficiency.

Conclusion:

 Most of the elderly with psychological disorders are at risk of malnutrition or have malnutrition. The identified predictors of malnutrition for this group are modifiable. Therefore, regular screening and nutritional management should be strengthened for their therapeutic interventions.