ABSTRACT
@#Introduction: Malnutrition, specifically undernutrition, in community-dwelling older adults reduces their well-being and predisposes to diseases. Therefore, timely malnutrition identification through nutrition screening is needed to identify at risk and malnourished patients. This study aimed to develop the content of nutrition screening guideline to facilitate healthcare staffs in health clinics to administer a validated nutrition screening tool specifically for older adults. Methods: A scoping review was conducted electronically using SCOPUS, PubMed, ProQuest Health & Medical Complete, and Cochrane databases. The systematic search was performed up to 31st December 2021. Search terms were created for identification of eligible and related articles. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were determined for the systematic search. The search was limited to English and Malay languages, and full text articles with no limitation of years. All data were extracted and analysed, guided by the PRISMA extension for scoping reviews (PRISMA-ScR). Results: From 728 identified articles, 18 articles were included in the analysis. Identified information for the guideline content were: introduction, aims and objectives, definition of malnutrition, prevalence of malnutrition, implementation of nutrition screening, guidance on administering items in validated tools, and guidance on anthropometric measurements. Meanwhile, format and flow charts from established guidelines served as references for the guideline development process. Conclusion: Appropriate content to develop a nutrition screening guideline has been identified based on this review. Development of a guideline based on this content can facilitate healthcare staffs to perform timely nutrition screening in older adults.
ABSTRACT
@#Introduction: The elderly population is highly vulnerable to malnutrition, including those in the community. The use of nutrition education as part of nutrition intervention is able to improve their nutritional status. Hence, provision of a nutrition resource kit addressing the needs of at-risk and malnourished elderly would be advantageous. This research aimed to develop, validate and evaluate the acceptance of a newly developed nutrition resource kit, which served as an educational material among at-risk and malnourished elderly in Malaysian health clinics. Methods: This study was conducted in three phases: Phase I comprised of qualitative needs assessment to identify the types of nutrition resource kit needed; Phase II was the development and validation of the nutrition resource kit; while Phase III was acceptance evaluation, which involved individual in-depth interview and triangulation. Results: An A5-sized booklet with incorporation of an educational video in a QR code was developed. Both printed material and educational video had excellent content and face validity. Suggestions by experts and elderly from validation were considered and revision was done accordingly. Acceptance evaluation revealed four themes: 1) positive acceptance, 2) elderly-friendly, 3) valuable, and 4) individual preference. Triangulation data revealed that all elderly positively evaluated both resources. Additional suggestions given by elderly were considered for improvement. Conclusion: This newly developed nutrition resource kit, both in the printed and electronic format, was well-accepted among the at-risk and malnourished elderly. It could be used as an important reference for the elderly, especially those attending health clinics, in treating and preventing malnutrition.
ABSTRACT
@#Introduction: Elderly population is more likely to suffer from malnutrition, thereby requiring appropriate nutrition education as part of nutrition intervention to overcome this issue. This review aims to identify content suitable for developing a nutrition resource kit that provides nutritional guidance to combat malnutrition among malnourished and at-risk elderly in health clinics setting, particularly in Malaysia. Methods: A literature search was conducted up to 15th December 2019 in four databases: PubMed, Scopus, COCHRANE, and ProQuest Health & Medical Collection. Potential literature on nutrition education, suitable dietary guidelines and existing educational materials for elderly in the community, in English and Malay languages, were searched to identify suitable content for the nutrition resource kit. All relevant documents were included based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were extracted and analysed according to the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Results: A total of 27 documents consisting of articles, printed materials and guidelines were included for analysis. Suitable content included information related to malnutrition such as definition, signs and symptoms, cause-consequences, and nutrition management, which included food plate, serving size, menu suggestion, examples of recipes, tips to increase energy and protein intakes through food or drink, texture modification, a guide to using oral nutritional supplements, tips for maintaining nutrient content in food and drink, tips to encourage to eat, and oral health. Conclusion: A nutrition resource kit tailored for malnourished and at-risk elderly would be a beneficial nutrition intervention. There is a need to incorporate these information in the development of a nutrition resource kit to improve their dietary intake.
ABSTRACT
@#Introduction: Elderly population is at high-risk to suffer from malnutrition and nutritional inadequacy. The use of nutrition resource kit which provides nutritional guidance could be helpful to improve their dietary intake. There is no study performed previously on the type of nutrition resource kit that can be used to overcome and prevent malnutrition among Malaysian elderly. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the types of nutrition resource kit needed by community living elderly in Malaysian health clinic setting. Methods: Qualitative study was conducted to explore the types of nutrition resource kit needed by community living elderly in health clinics. Recruitment for in-depth individual interview targeted elderly aged ≥60 years old who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria and received primary healthcare services in four health clinics in Kuantan, Pahang. Interview questions addressed the knowledge on existing nutrition educational materials, preference for types of nutrition resource kit and opinion on technology-based materials. Data were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed using NVivo software version 12. Results: 21 participants involved in this study (mean age=67.24 ±6.98 years). Five key themes identified from the data: provision of nutrition resource kit; preference for printed version; eye-friendly; facilitate understanding with diagram; and support for technology-based materials. This study also found that majority of elderly preferred for A5-sized booklet for nutrition resource kit. Conclusion: Future development of nutrition resource kit tailored to the need of elderly is needed to deliver nutritional guidance effectively and served as an important reference for them to overcome malnutrition.