Malnutrition and quality of life among Malaysian community-dwelling older persons during COVID-19 pandemic

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic affected nutrition among older persons due to disruptions in food supply and shortages of essential medicines, supplements, and food, leading to malnutrition or unhealthy diets. While unhealthy body mass index (BMI) and malnutrition may influence quality of life (QoL), evidence is limited. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the association between BMI and malnutrition towards QoL among older persons in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Data were obtained through an online questionnaire consisting of self-reported anthropometry, malnutrition assessment using the Malnutrition Risk Screening Tool-Hospital (MRST-H) and Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), and the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF36) for QoL evaluation. Results: A total of 169 respondents [median age = 64.0 (62.0, 69.5) years], with a mean BMI of 25.5±4.9 kg/m2, participated in the study. Prevalence of malnutrition was 4.2% based on MNA-SF; 30.2% and 33.1% of respondents were identified as being at high risk of malnutrition according to MNASF and MRST-H, respectively. Median score for QoL was 61.1±27.0, indicating good QoL. No significant association was found between BMI and QoL. Higher MNA-SF scores, indicating better nutritional status, were associated with higher QoL. Higher MRST-H scores, indicating higher malnutrition risk, were significantly associated with lower social functioning in QoL. Conclusion: Addressing malnutrition in older persons is crucial, as it significantly impacts their QoL, especially in the social functioning domain. However, it is still unclear whether malnutrition is a cause or an effect, or perhaps a third potential factor, such as functional status, which acts as a mediator.