Nutritional screening strategy in nonagenarians: The value of the MNA-SF (Mini Nutritional Assessment short form) in NutriAction

Objectives: To identify older subjects at risk of malnutrition using the most appropriate tool available for the specific setting and to evaluate the Mini Nutritional Assessment short form (MNA-SF) in a sample of nonagenarians. Design: Questionnaire based national screening week for the risk and prevalence of malnutrition in older people (NutriAction). Setting: Older people in the community (CD) and in nursing homes (NH). Participants: General practices (n=70) and Nursing Homes (n=70). Measurements: Questionnaire based on items from validated screening instruments: the MNA-SF, the Short Nutritional Assessment Questionnaire (SNAQ) and additional clinically relevant parameters (mobility, independence, social isolation and co-morbidities). Results: In total 5,334 people were screened of which 16% were aged over 90 years. In this age group, 66% of the screened individuals were at risk of malnutrition (MNA ≤ 11), and women were affected significantly more than men (p<0.001). Actual malnutrition was present in 22% (BMI