Mortality of malnourished elderly in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil: A multidimensional analysis focusing on multiple causes of death

Abstract

This study aimed to identify the mortality profiles of elderly individuals with malnutrition, based on associations between multiple causes of death and other variables recorded on the death certificate. We studied the deaths of elderly (≥ 60 years) living in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil, with malnutrition recorded as one of the causes. Data were used from the mortality information system. Multiple correspondence analysis was used to investigate these associations. The study showed excess mortality among women, whites, widowers, and individuals with low schooling. Ten mortality profiles were studied, and malnutrition was five times more frequent according to the multiple-causes technique. The results showed both the importance of multiple causes of death not detected by focusing on the underlying cause and the adequacy of multiple correspondence analysis for identifying the associations between causes and other variables listed on the death certificate.