Association Between Nutritional Status and Depression in Hospitalized Elderly Patients

Abstract

Background/Purpose: The global population is aging and this is expected to continue. For this reason, the number of hospitalized elderly people is increasing, especially in developing countries. This study aimed to examine depression, malnutrition, and dietary intake and the associations between them in hospitalized elderly people. Methods: This prospective, descriptive, case–control study was conducted with 65 hospitalized elderly people. A questionnaire form was applied via face-to-face interview and the MNA-SF was used to assess nutritional status. A 24-hour dietary recall technique and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were applied. Results: The prevalence of malnutrition was 32.3% and of malnutrition risk was 52.3% in this study. A significant relationship was found between the MNA-SF and the GDS (r=-0.427, p <0.001). It was also found that age, marital status, sleeping in the day time, MNA-SF scores, number of daily meals, and state of appetite affect the emergence of depression in hospitalized geriatric patients (p <0.05). Conclusion: Both depression and malnutrition are common in hospitalized elderly people and they have an impact on general health. Therefore, close follow-up of patients is important.