Table 3.
Domain (defining and treating): Defining and treating anorexia of aging
| Overall (n = 870) | Education group (n = 395) | Non‐education group (n = 475) | P value | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| N | % | N | % | N | % | ||
| In the absence of an explicit cause such as acute illness, anorexia in older adults is most accurately defined as | |||||||
| Loss of appetite and/or low food intake in older adults | 457 | 52.5% | 207 | 52.4% | 250 | 52.6% | 0.830 |
| Unintended weight loss in older adults | 155 | 17.8% | 71 | 18.0% | 84 | 17.7% | |
| Sarcopenia or loss of muscle mass, strength and/or function | 77 | 8.9% | 38 | 9.6% | 39 | 8.2% | |
| Nutrition risk, malnutrition or undernutrition in older adults | 115 | 13.2% | 53 | 13.4% | 62 | 13.1% | |
| Frailty in geriatric patients | 66 | 7.6% | 26 | 6.6% | 40 | 8.4% | |
| I use tools and resources such as evidence‐based guidelines developed by experts to care for my older patients with anorexia. | |||||||
| Yes, all of the time | 50 | 5.7% | 37 | 9.4% | 13 | 2.7% | <0.001 |
| Yes, most of the time | 160 | 18.4% | 114 | 28.9% | 46 | 9.7% | |
| Rarely | 189 | 21.7% | 100 | 25.3% | 89 | 18.7% | |
| No, I prefer to use my own clinical judgement | 259 | 29.8% | 92 | 23.3% | 167 | 35.2% | |
| No, I am not aware of tools and resources to care for my geriatric patients with anorexia | 142 | 16.3% | 35 | 8.9% | 107 | 22.5% | |
| No, I do not use tools and resources because I do not have access to them | 19 | 2.2% | 5 | 1.3% | 14 | 2.9% | |
| Not applicable for my professional role/responsibility | 51 | 5.9% | 12 | 3.0% | 39 | 8.2% | |
| When a diagnosis of anorexia in older adults is made, evidence‐based or consensus developed interventions may include (select all that apply) | |||||||
| Incorporating energy‐ and protein‐fortified foods in the diet | 708 | 81.4% | 334 | 84.6% | 374 | 78.7% | |
| Recommending oral nutritional supplements (e.g., Boost and Ensure) | 691 | 79.4% | 312 | 79.0% | 379 | 79.8% | |
| Addressing dentition issues | 738 | 84.8% | 338 | 85.6% | 400 | 84.2% | |
| Treating swallowing disorders (if present) | 739 | 84.9% | 343 | 86.8% | 396 | 83.4% | |
| Prescribing appetite stimulants (e.g., megace and dronabinol) | 166 | 19.1% | 85 | 21.5% | 81 | 17.1% | |
| Prescribing antidepressants | 263 | 30.2% | 134 | 33.9% | 129 | 27.2% | |
| Prescribing physical exercise | 434 | 49.9% | 197 | 49.9% | 237 | 49.9% | |
| Prescribing nutritional counselling | 508 | 58.4% | 238 | 60.3% | 270 | 56.8% | |
| Revising current prescriptions that are causing side effects | 614 | 70.6% | 282 | 71.4% | 332 | 69.9% | |
| Treating constipation | 609 | 70.0% | 278 | 70.4% | 331 | 69.7% | |
| Reviewing already prescribed medications | 616 | 70.8% | 281 | 71.1% | 335 | 70.5% | |
| Referring to specialist for psychosocial support | 298 | 34.3% | 136 | 34.4% | 162 | 34.1% | |
| Referring to support services (e.g., social worker, financial counsellor, and transportation assistance) | 355 | 40.8% | 155 | 39.2% | 200 | 42.1% | |
| Screening for abuse and/or neglect | 247 | 28.4% | 111 | 28.1% | 136 | 28.6% | |
| Other (free text) | 3 | 0.3% | 0 | 0.0% | 3 | 0.6% | |
| I do not know | 6 | 0.7% | 2 | 0.5% | 4 | 0.8% | |
| Not applicable for my professional role/responsibility | 10 | 1.1% | 3 | 0.8% | 7 | 1.5% | |
| I am confident in providing nutrition recommendations for older patients with anorexia. | |||||||
| Strongly agree | 199 | 22.9% | 116 | 29.4% | 83 | 17.5% | <0.001 |
| Agree | 395 | 45.4% | 198 | 50.1% | 197 | 41.5% | |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 193 | 22.2% | 62 | 15.7% | 131 | 27.6% | |
| Disagree | 45 | 5.2% | 13 | 3.3% | 32 | 6.7% | |
| Strongly disagree | 12 | 1.4% | 1 | 0.3% | 11 | 2.3% | |
| Not applicable for my professional role/responsibility | 22 | 2.5% | 4 | 1.0% | 18 | 3.8% | |
| Missing system | 4 | 0.5% | 1 | 0.3% | 3 | 0.6% | |
| I am confident in providing physical activity recommendations for older patients with anorexia. | |||||||
| Strongly agree | 151 | 17.4% | 88 | 22.3% | 63 | 13.3% | <0.001 |
| Agree | 413 | 47.5% | 210 | 53.2% | 203 | 42.7% | |
| Neither agree nor disagree | 212 | 24.4% | 73 | 18.5% | 139 | 29.3% | |
| Disagree | 55 | 6.3% | 15 | 3.8% | 40 | 8.4% | |
| Strongly disagree | 6 | 0.7% | 1 | 0.3% | 5 | 1.1% | |
| Not applicable for my professional role/responsibility | 26 | 3.0% | 5 | 1.3% | 21 | 4.4% | |
| Missing system | 7 | 0.8% | 3 | 0.8% | 4 | 0.8% | |
| There are sufficient specialists available for me to refer my older adult patients with anorexia for additional assessment and/or treatment. | |||||||
| Yes, all of the time | 63 | 7.2% | 42 | 10.6% | 21 | 4.4% | <0.001 |
| Yes, most of the time | 287 | 33.0% | 153 | 38.7% | 134 | 28.2% | |
| Rarely | 166 | 19.1% | 83 | 21.0% | 83 | 17.5% | |
| No | 267 | 30.7% | 87 | 22.0% | 180 | 37.9% | |
| Not applicable for my professional role/responsibility | 83 | 9.5% | 26 | 6.6% | 57 | 12.0% | |
| Missing system | 4 | 0.5% | 4 | 1.0% | 0 | 0.0% | |
Data are presented as N, %, chi‐square test.