Assessment of nutritional status by MNA scale and the elderly’s eating habits from some communes in Hue city

Background: The nutritional status of the elderly is important but not being considered properly. This study aimed to assess the nutritional status and understand the eating habits of the elderly from some communes in Hue city as well as to study the relationship between nutritional status and eating habits of the study subjects. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted by interviewing 408 people aged 60 and over who were living in Hue city using a pre-prepared questionnaire and MNA scale. Results: The prevalence of the elderly who were at risk of undernutrition and undernutrition were 33.8% and 2.2%, respectively. The age group with the highest risk of undernutrition was 60-74 years old (30.8%). Most of the subjects had a habit of stir-fry processing (24.5%) and boiled/steamed/water-bathed their food (24.2%). Most of the elderly used vegetable oil for processing and cooking (98.5%). The percentage of the elderly who used frying oil/fat many times accounted for 39.4%. There was 26.5% of the elderly used herbs and 25.5% of them used salty spices. 97.5% of the elderly did not use a spice measuring device when cooking. Most of them using food that was being tasted by the cook (84.9%). Only 25.7% of the elderly had the habit of reading food labels in which only 11.5% reading nutritional information. The percentage of the elderly who ate enough three primary meals/day was 94.1%; 14.5% of families have menus for the elderly; 53.9% of the elderly consumed more than 1500 ml fluids per day. The percentage of the elderly who ate fruit daily, had an average amount of vegetables > 300 g per day and used milk and dairy products every day were 7.6%, 21.6% and 41.7%, respectively. Some factors significantly related to nutritional status (p < 0.05) were eating under 3 primary meals per day, consuming ≤ 1500 ml of fluids per day, the family did not have a separated menu for the elderly. Conclusion: The prevalence of the elderly who were at risk of undernutrition and undernutrition in Hue city is quite high (36%). It is necessary to guide the elderly to have age-appropriate eating habits to ensure health. Key words: Nutritional status, the elderly, eating habits, MNA