Self-reported nutritional competence and -practice among health care workers at nursing homes in two Norwegian municipalities : a cross-sectional study

Background: Malnutrition is common in elderly. Possible causes are multimorbidity and natural changes from ageing. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe nutritional competence and nutritional practice among health care workers in nursing homes in two municipalities. Method: Health care workers from ten nursing homes received an electronic questionnaire. The questionnaire included 49 items regarding practice of documentation, self-reported nutritional competence, and knowledge about anthropometric measures and body mass index. In addition, familiarity of key documents and guidelines about nutrition were assessed. The data was analyzed with frequencies, Chi-square, and regression analyses. Results: Out of 542 invited participants, 185 (34 %) responded to the survey, of which 37 % were registered nurses. The majority reported good nutritional competence. A small proportion were familiar with relevant documents about nutrition; 25 % knew the “Norwegian dietary guidelines” and 37 % were familiar with the “Dietary handbook”. The health care workers reported to have a good nutritional practice, especially of documenting food intake. The practice of measuring weight and height both on admission and regularly was good, but knowledge and practice regarding body mass index were insufficient. The staff wished for increased knowledge about nutrition, especially in dementia and patients with chronical diseases. Conclusion: Self-perceived nutritional competence and -practice were relatively good, but there is room for improvement especially in regarding and familiarity with relevant documents and use of body mass index. The health care workers wanted more knowledge about nutrition