Impact on the risk of malnutrition and depression of a clinical trial with nutritional educational intervention in non-institutionalized elderly subjects receiving a telecare service in Terrassa (Spain)

Abstract

Introduction: The elderly are a growing and vulnerable population. Depression and malnutrition are frequent and there seems to be associated. Objectives: To assess the impact of a nutritional educational intervention on the risk of malnutrition and depression in elderly subjects. Methods: Analytical, experimental, randomized longitudinal study in 38 autonomous, non-institutionalized elderly subjects. Nutritional and depression risk were measured using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and the Yesavage Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS-SF), respectively. The impact of the intervention was measured with nutrition and food security questionnaires. Statistics were performed with Spearman’s correlation coefficient, and comparisons between means with the Student’s t-test. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Results: 63.2 % of the sample had a good nutritional status, 28,9 % were at risk of malnutrition, and 7.9 % had malnutrition. Of the total of participants, 28.9 % had depression. A statistically significant, moderate and negative linear relationship was found between depression and nutritional risk (rho = -0.489; p < 0.01). The nutritional educational intervention produced a significant increase in knowledge of food security (2.95 ± 2.53 compared to 0.37 ± 1.46; p < 0.0005). Conclusions: The risks of malnutrition and depression are significantly associated in older adults. Furthermore, the nutritional educational intervention improved knowledge of food safety, but did not improve nutritional status or in the degree of depression.