Evaluation of mini nutritional assessment in Chilean free-living elders

Background: The Chilean Ministry of Health proposed the use of "Mini Nation al Assessment", to identify elders at nutritional risk. This score consider s anthropometric, dietary and quality of life items. Aim: To assess the con cordance of the mini nutritional assessment with body mass index and dietar y parameters in Chilean free living elders, Material and methods: Subjects aged 70 years old or more, coming from four public outpatient clinics were studied. In all, the mini nutritional assessment, dietary intake using 24 h recalls and authropometric parameters were measured. Energy intake was eva luated using FAO/WHO/UNU guidelines. Micronutrient intake was evaluated usi ng the Dietary Recommended Intakes (DRI) from USA. Kappa index was used to determine diagnostic concordance. Results: Forty three percent of subjects were overweight or obese. There was a substandard intake of calcium, folate , zinc, vitamin A, C, E, B6, B12 and energy. Seventy nine percent of subjec ts had a deficient or regular food intake. Mini nutritional assessment scor e was normal in 66% of subjects, Fifty eight percent of those with a defici ent food intake bad a normal mini nutritional assessment, On the other hand , 73% of those considered at nutritional risk, had a normal or excessive we ight. Conclusions: Mini nutritional assessment did not identify elders at n utritional risk in this sample (Rev Med Chile 2001; 129: 871-6).