Table 2. Basic characteristics of the study participants.
| Low DOC (n = 35) | High DOC (n = 38) | P | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age, mean (year-old) | 82.26±0.99 | 81.37±1.22 | 0.580 |
| Sex, n (%) | 0.442 | ||
| Male | 8 (22.9) | 12 (31.6) | |
| Female | 27 (77.1) | 26 (68.4) | |
| BMI, mean (kg/m2) | 20.88±0.69 | 20.24±0.62 | 0.488 |
| Causative disease*, n (%) | 0.185 | ||
| Post stroke | 7 (20.0) | 8 (21.1) | |
| Dementia | 23 (65.7) | 17 (44.7) | |
| Parkinson’s disease | 2 (5.7) | 3 (7.9) | |
| Other | 3 (8.6) | 10 (26.3) | |
| Diet order type, n (%) | 0.401 | ||
| DM | 10 (28.6) | 8 (21.1) | |
| LS | 10 (28.6) | 9 (23.7) | |
| DMLS | 5 (14.3) | 3 (7.9) | |
| HP | 10 (28.6) | 18 (47.4) | |
| Nutritional assessment (PG-SGA), n (%) | 0.293 | ||
| Well-nourished | 5 (14.3) | 10 (26.3) | |
| Moderate malnourished | 18 (51.4) | 20 (52.6) | |
| Severely malnourished | 12 (34.3) | 8 (21.1) | |
| Pressure ulcer risk (Branden), n (%) | |||
| Mean score | 16.63±0.45 | 17.42±0.57 | 0.281 |
| Very high/High risk | 2 (5.7) | 3 (7.9) | 0.103 |
| Very high/High risk | 3 (8.6) | 7 (18.4) | |
| Mild/No risk | 20 (85.7) | 28 (73.6) | |
| Anorexia assessment (SNAQ), mean | 11.85±0.64 | 10.44±0.53 | 0.751 |
Mean±standard error (SE) or the number of subjects. P values were derived from Pearson tests (categorical variables) and ANOVA tests (continuous variables). P < 0.05 was considered significant.
*Stroke (cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and stroke of unknown cause), dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and other disease (disuse syndrome, traumatic accident (fall, traffic accident), fracture, general weakness). PG-SGA, Patient-Generated Subjective Global Assessment, is categorized into three groups: stage A, well nourished; stage B, moderate or suspected malnutrition; and stage C, severely malnourished. The brand scale for predicting pressure ulcers is as follows: very high risk (total score of 9 or less), high risk (total score of 10–12), moderate risk (total score of 13–14), mild risk (total score of 15–18), and no risk (total score 19–23). SNAQ, simplified nutritional appetite questionnaire.