Prevalence of Malnutrition and Its Associated Factors Among Older Adults Using Mini Nutritional Assessment Tool in Sulaimani City Kurdistan Region of Iraq

Abstract
Old age is the last phase of life, and malnutrition is linked to a loss of independence, reduced quality of life, and a high risk of death. Malnutrition encompasses both underweight and overweight conditions, representing an overall state of poor nutritional health due to imbalances in macronutrients or micronutrients. This study aims to assess the nutritional status of older adult patients at Sulaimani hospitals. A cross-sectional study was conducted in the Sulaymaniyah hospitals. The study included 300 elder patients’ cases who stayed in the hospital for more than three days. The questionnaire form used for collecting data and to determine the elder nutrition states the mini nutritional assessment tool used, which is composed of 18 items, including anthropometric measurements, global assessment, dietary questionnaire, and subjective assessment. The nutritional assessment, based on all mini nutritional assessment questions, revealed that 123 (41%) of the elderly were malnourished, 142 (47.3%) were at risk of malnutrition, and 35 (11.7%) had a normal nutritional status. Participants who were underweight had a nine-fold higher likelihood of being malnourished compared to extremely obese individuals, while those at a healthy weight were only three times more likely to be malnourished (P-value 0.001). People with chronic diseases were four times more likely to experience malnutrition than those without such conditions (P-value 0.001). Additionally, individuals with digestion problems were twice as likely to be malnourished (P value 0.001). A study found a high rate of malnutrition and malnutrition risk among hospitalized elderly individuals, mostly females from outside Sulaymaniyah City. They also discovered links between malnutrition and chronic diseases, as well as correlations with lower BMI and body weight in elderly participants.