Snapshot of malnutrition prevalence in five residential aged care facilities in the ACT region

Malnutrition is a health issue in our ageing population that often goes unrecognised. As there are limited Australian data on the prevalence of malnutrition in residential aged care facilities (RACFs), the prevalence of malnutrition was determined in a sample of older adults living in five RACFs in the ACT region. In July/August 2012, the Subjective Global Assessment tool was used to determine the prevalence of malnutrition in 101 aged care residents. In this population, 66% of the residents were women, and 29% of residents were classified as high care. 78% of the residents were classified as well nourished, 20% as moderately malnourished, and 2% severely malnourished. Prevalence of malnutrition was higher in females, in patients receiving high level care, and in residents over the age of 85. The prevalence of malnutrition found in this study is lower than data reported in recent Australian and International studies for residential aged care. Reasons for the lower rate of malnutrition in this sample may be due to the presence of a student-led nutrition and dietetics clinic, previous dietetic intervention, small sample size, and high risk residents (such as cognitively impaired and medically unfit) not participating in the study. With the proportion of Australians over the age of 65 increasing, and with older adults being the largest group of nutritionally vulnerable people in Australia, it is imperative that there is early recognition and awareness of malnutrition in RACFs.