Comparison of nutritional status screening by the mini nutritional assessment (MNA®) and the nutrition alert form (NAF) in elderly patients setting at a geriatric clinic, Siriraj hospital

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA®) and the Nutrition Alert Form (NAF), which is a newly developed nutrition screening tool, in a Geriatric Outpatient Clinic. Materials and Methods: The present study was a cross-sectional study conducted in 159 elderly patients at a Geriatric Clinic, Siriraj Hospital. Results: Mean age of the patients was 76.9 + 6.4 years and 62.3% were female. Their mean body mass index was 24.6 + 4.3 kg/ m². The nutritional status which was classified by the MNA® was normal nutritional status 59.7%, at nutritional risk 32.7%, and malnourished 7.5 %. By the NAF cut-off points, the proportion of nutrition status were 74.8 % normal nutrition to mild malnutrition, 18.2 % moderate malnutrition, and 6.9% severe malnutrition, respectively. NAF was completed within 5 minutes in every case. The scores from NAF correlated with that from MNA® with a correlation of 0.192 (p 0.015). Conclusion: The Nutrition Alert Form (NAF) can be used in Geriatric Outpatient Clinic with reasonable correlation with the MNA®.