Undernutrition and associated factors of among older adults in Ethiopia: Systematic review and meta-analysis

Abstract Introduction: In older adults, undernutrition is a common and dangerous condition. Undernutrition contributes significantly to morbidity and mortality in older adults today, without a doubt. Undernutrition and accidental weight loss contribute to health decline, decreased physical and cognitive functional status, higher healthcare consumption, premature institutionalization, and increased mortality. Undernutrition in older adults may be reduced if the overall prevalence and determinant factors were addressed. So, the goal of this study was to determine the pooled prevalence and factors associated with undernutrition among the older adults in Ethiopia.Method: The protocol in this study was registered in the International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) database and can be accessed with the protocol number CRD42021254805.A selection of publications, data extraction, and reported results for the review was designed according to the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. The quality of individual studies included in this meta-analysis was assessed using the STROBE (Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology) checklist. A total of 8 independent studies were eligible and enrolled for final analysis. The heterogeneity among studies used for this meta-analysis was assessed using the I2 test. Thus, a fixed-effect model at 95% CI was used for estimating the overall effect. The meta-analysis was conducted using Stata software (version 14, STATA Corp College Station, TX), where p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.Results: In the estimation of the pooled prevalence of undernutrition, a total of 4,628 older adults from eight studies were included. the pooled prevalence of undernutrition among older adults in Ethiopia was 20.53% (95% CI: 17.39%, 23.67%). The study revealed that males had higher odds of being undernutrition as compared to females with AOR 5.88 (95% CI: 5.00, 6.66). Older adults in the age range of 65-74 (young-old) were less likely to be undernourished as compared to those whose age was above 85 (old-old) with AOR 022(95%CI:0.22, 0.25). Older adults who were depressed had higher odds of undernutrition as compared to their counterparts with AOR 1.27 (95%CI:1.19, 1.37). On the other hand, older adults from households with poor wealth index were two (AOR=1.90; 95% CI: 1.08, 3.32) times more likely to be undernourished as compared to those who were from rich households.Conclusion: The burden of undernutrition in Ethiopia is still significant, according to this report. As a result, different intervention measures to minimize the prevalence of undernutrition among Ethiopia's older adults are urgently needed