Abstract

MEZA PAREDES, Johana Vanessa; ORTIZ SORIA, Lourdes Alicia  and  OLMEDO PAVON, Jimena Araceli. Assessment of calf circumference as a marker of malnutrition risk in institutionalized older adults from the Simeona Rest Home. Pilot study in the city of Mariano Roque Alonso, September 2022. Mem. Inst. Investig. Cienc. Salud [online]. 2023, vol.21, n.1, e21122310.  Epub Aug 29, 2023. ISSN 1812-9528.  https://doi.org/10.18004/mem.iics/1812-9528/2023.e21122310.

Aging is a natural phenomenon and inherent to the human being, characterized by anatomical, physiological, and psychological changes. Malnutrition is a common pathological state in this population and can condition the appearance or increase the severity of age-related diseases. Its assessment can be based on anthropometric measurements such as calf circumference, whose non-invasive technique could reflect useful information on the nutritional status of this especially vulnerable group. With the objective of assessing the calf circumference as a marker of malnutrition risk in institutionalized older adults of the Simeona Rest Home in the city of Mariano Roque Alonso during the month of September 2022, a pilot, observational, descriptive, cross sectional study was carried out in 15 adults aged 60 years or over, of both sexes, residents of the aforementioned home. Ethical principles were respected, sociodemographic, clinical and anthropometric data such as Calf Circumference (CP) were collected. Regarding the results of anthropometric parameters, the risk of malnutrition with respect to calf circumference was 60%. The frequency of risk was higher in women with 71.43%. The calf circumference is a reliable malnutrition risk marker in the geriatric population that is institutionalized, regardless of age and sex, likewise it constitutes an economic tool that is easy to interpret.

Keywords : Malnutrition; older adults; calf circumference.

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