Food Intake in Older Patients

Food Intake and Preferences in Older Patients During Hospitalisation

Unintentional weight loss and undernutrition are well described problems in elderly inpatients, occurring in around 23% to 62% of hospitalised elderly in developed countries. Not only are a large number of elderly patients undernourished at admission but a substantial proportion will lose weight and become malnourished during their hospital stay, putting them at increased risk of morbidity, mortality, poor clinical outcomes and prolonged length of hospital stay. However, as it is frequently impossible to correct undernutrition prior to hospital admission, every effort should be made to prevent weight loss and correct undernutrition during hospitalization. Therefore, screening and identification of predictors of patients at risk of weight loss and undernutrition at admission, and identification of modifiable factors (e.g. eating preferences and poor food hospital intake), where intervention might be helpful, are important aspects in the management of these patients.

Before designing a food intervention study, there is a need to, firstly:

1. describe hospital food intake, eating habits and preferences in elderly inpatients during hospitalization
2. describe predictors of hospital food intake in elderly during hospitalisation
3. compare energy and protein intake in elderly inpatients during hospitalisation with the United Kingdom Dietary Reference Values (DRVs)

This study is a hospital based observational study. Eligible participants will be 125 patients (aged ≥ 65 years old) admitted to the geriatric wards of 2 hospitals in the West of Scotland. Eligible participants will be seen 96 hours after admission in order to explain the study process and to obtain written consent. The researcher will record basic body size measurements and will ask the patient questions about living conditions, feelings, memory, health, eating habits, opinions about the hospital food service. Nursing staff will be asked about patient's functional activity. The researcher will also take pictures of a subset of patients' main meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) on a single day, prior to and after eating. The researcher will meet each patient three times in total. The first time 4 days after admission; a second time, during the hospital stay and, finally, around the time of discharge to repeat some measurements including weight, BMI, skinfold, mid upper arm circumference, grip strength and calf circumference.

Study Overview

• Status: Completed
• Conditions: Nutritional Status in Hospitalised Geriatric Patients

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Actual): 48

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 65 years and older (Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

• Sampling Method: Non-Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients admitted to the geriatric wards at the South Glasgow University Hospital, Glasgow or the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Paisley.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Screened for study participation within 96 hours after admission
• Duration of hospital admission expected to be more than 3 days
• Able to provide consent or consent obtainable from their legal representative

Exclusion Criteria:

- Receiving palliative care

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Study cohort; Patients aged 65 years or over admitted to a geriatric ward in 2 hospitals for more than 3 days

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Hospital food intake	Percentage of served hospital food portion consumed	Hospital admission to discharge - median 15-20 days

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Predictor of hospital food intake in elderly patients	Risk of malnutrition as measured by Mini Nutritional Assessment Short Form (MNASF)	Hospital admission to discharge - median 15-20 days
Predictor of hospital food intake in elderly patients	Functionality as measured by Barthel index of activities of daily living questionnaire	Hospital admission to discharge - median 15-20 days
Predictor of hospital food intake in elderly patients	Mental status as measured by Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE)	Hospital admission to discharge - median 15-20 days
Predictor of hospital food intake in elderly patients	Quality of Life as measured by "EQ-5D" questionnaire	Hospital admission to discharge - median 15-20 days
Eating habits	As measured by Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ)	Hospital admission to discharge - median 15-20 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
• Collaborators: University of Glasgow
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Konstantinos Gerasimidis, PhD, University of Glasgow

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): September 22, 2015
• Primary Completion (Actual): August 3, 2016
• Study Completion (Actual): August 3, 2016

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 2, 2015
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 2, 2015
• First Posted (Estimate): July 7, 2015

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): August 21, 2017
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: August 16, 2017
• Last Verified: August 1, 2017

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Hospitalisation; Geriatrics; Nutritional Status
• Other Study ID Numbers: GN15HN293