Table 1.
Characteristics of the nursing home and community dwelling study populations
| Parameter | Nursing home (n = 2480) | Community dwelling (n = 819) | p value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) mean ± SD | 86.3 ± 6.2 | 82.7 ± 6.1 | < 0.001 |
| Sex (% male/female) | 22/78 | 32/68 | < 0.001 |
| Presence of comorbidities | |||
| Cancer | 171 (7%) | 87 (11%) | 0.001 |
| Chronic heart failure | 285 (12%) | 113 (14%) | 0.079 |
| COPD | 141 (6%) | 50 (6%) | 0.656 |
| Dementia | 1074 (43%) | 113 (14%) | < 0.001 |
| Depression | 367 (15%) | 47 (6%) | < 0.001 |
| Diabetes | 440 (18%) | 163 (20%) | 0.165 |
| Fractures | 313 (13%) | 63 (8%) | < 0.001 |
| Parkinson | 140 (6%) | 37 (5%) | 0.214 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis | 122 (5%) | 116(14%) | < 0.001 |
| Stroke | 284 (12%) | 59 (7%) | 0.001 |
| Number of comorbidities mean ± SD | 1.5 ± 1.1 | 1.1 ± 0.98 | < 0.001 |
| 0 | 407 (16%) | 208 (25%) | |
| 1 | 1035 (42%) | 391 (48%) | |
| 2 | 647 (26%) | 147 (18%) | |
| 3 | 282 (11%) | 55 (7%) | |
| 4 | 85 (3%) | 10 (1%) | |
| 5 | 18 (0.7%) | 7 (0.9%) | |
| 6 | 6 (0.2%) | 1 (0.1%) | |
| BMI (kg/m2) ± SD | 24.3 ± 5.4 | 26.3 ± 5.3 | < 0.001 |
| Nutritional status (MNA-SF) | < 0.001 | ||
| % malnourished | 336 (14%) | 56 (7%) | |
| % at risk of malnutrition | 1214 (49%) | 241 (29%) | |
| % normal | 907 (37%) | 519 (63%) | |
| Weight loss last 3 months | < 0.001 | ||
| No weight loss | 1541 (62%) | 601 (73%) | |
| 1–3 kg | 474 (19%) | 88 (11%) | |
| 3–6 kg | 143 (6%) | 37 (5%) | |
| > 6 kg | 47 (2%) | 28 (3%) | |
| Unknown | 275 (11%) | 65 (8%) | |
| Use of ONS | 204 (8%) | 14 (2%) | < 0.001 |
| Being able to climb stairs | 391 (16%) | 268 (33%) | < 0.001 |
| Being able to walk outside for 5 min | 853 (34%) | 425 (52%) | < 0.001 |
| Katz ADL score | < 0.001 | ||
| Cat O | 460 (19%) | 228 (28%) | |
| Cat A | 346 (14%) | 214 (26%) | |
| Cat B | 242 (10%) | 188 (23%) | |
| Cat C | 327 (13%) | 129 (16%) | |
| Cat D (D = demented) | 242 (10%) | 5 (0.6%) | |
| Cat C_D (fully dependent) | 863 (35%) | 55 (7%) | |
Data are presented as n (%), except for age, sex, number of comorbidities, and BMI. Participants had no more than 6 comorbidities. Nutritional status was missing in n = 26 (CD: n = 3, NH: n = 23)
ADL activities of daily living, BMI body mass index, COPD chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, MNA-SF mini nutritional assessment—short form, ONS oral nutritional supplement