Relationship between Nutritional Status and Functional Capacity for Older People

Abstract

Functional capacity is the condition of an individual living independently and the lack of it for preparing and eating food, which is a factor that can result in malnutrition and deserves the attention of professionals and his family members. Then, the aim of this work was to evaluate the relationship between nutritional status and functional capacity for older adults using anthropometric measures and questionnaires for activities of daily and instrumental living. It was an epidemiological cross-sectional study using a representative sample of older adults selected from a previous study about quality of life in a Botucatu city, Sao Paulo. Brazil. The sample size was calculated considering 95% of reliability and 5% of error margin, resulting from a total of 365 individuals of both sexes but only 361 of them completed the protocol. Data included sociodemographic and morbidities questionnaires, activities of daily and instrumental living (ADL and IADL) and an-thropometric variables. 62.6% of the older were women, 44.68% were hypertensive, 28.81% were diabetic and 15.51% had hypercholesterolemia. 94.24% and 92.42% of the older were fully independent for ADL and IADL, respectively. Associations between ADL with marital status and schooling were found as well as with IADL. Also, it was found association with IADL and heart disease. Regarding anthropometry most of measures when compared men and women were significant. No significant association was found between nutritional status and ADL. A logistic regression model was fitted considering ADL as a response variable showed BMI as a protection factor and WC as a risk factor for dependence. For IADL, heart disease was a risk factor for dependence. In conclusion, low weight and increased waist circumference have influence in a functional capacity of older adults according to the activities daily living (ADL) and heart disease for IADL.