Risk factors associated with malnutrition in hospitalized patients

• Autor(a) principal: Marquezini FRAGAS, Roberta Flores
• Data de Publicação: 2023
• Outros Autores: de OLIVEIRA, Maria Conceição
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Revista de Nutrição
• Texto Completo: https://periodicos.puc-campinas.edu.br/nutricao/article/view/8026
• topic: Inpatients; Malnutrition; Risk factors; Pacientes internados; Desnutrição; Fatores de risco

ObjectiveTo identify factors associated with malnutrition in patients hospitalized in general public hospitals of the city of Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil. MethodsThis cross-sectional study included 397 patients of both sexes aged more than 18 years, staying at three public hospitals in Manaus, Amazonas. The patients were submitted to anthropometric and subjective global assessments, the latter being the main diagnostic method. For association analyses between malnutrition (dependent variable) and other covariates, we used contingency table for variable selection and multiple logistic regression for independent effect test between exposure and outcome. The strength of association between the variables was expressed as odds ratio, with a 95% confidence interval. The analyses were performed by EpiInfo 7.0. ResultsAmong the risk factors associated with hospital malnutrition, hospital stays longer than 15 days, when analyzed alone, nearly tripled the odds of malnutrition. However, in the final model, the variables that remained associated were: persistent change in diet, presence of gastrointestinal symptoms, recent weight loss, weight loss in the last six months, cancer, and age higher than 60 years. ConclusionMalnutrition is recurrent in hospitals, and the factors associated with malnutrition can be identified on admission, allowing adequate monitoring during hospital stay. Therefore, a more effective performance of nutritional screening and monitoring programs is critical.