Meals-on-wheels applicants are a population at risk for poor nutritional status.

OBJECTIVE: To identify older adults with poor nutritional status among the independent-living elderly applying for meals-on-wheels, and to compare how a self-assessment tool and more traditional criteria identify nutritional risk.
DESIGN: Descriptive study. SUBJECTS/
SETTING: Meals-on-wheels applicants (n = 230 between 60 and 90 years of age (mean age = 77.4 +/- 7 years) who were free from terminal illness. Nutrition assessment data were collected in the home of each participant. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Risk assessment for poor nutritional status was determined using anthropometric, dietary, and laboratory data and with a Nutrition Screening Initiative (NSI) self-assessment tool-the "DETERMINE Your Nutritional Health" checklist. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Differences were assessed using Student's t test for unpaired data.
RESULTS: Seventy-four percent of study participants were found to be at risk for poor nutritional status according to the study criteria, and 98% were at risk for poor nutritional status according to the NSI self-assessment tool.
CONCLUSIONS: The majority of the applicants for meals-on-wheels were at risk for poor nutritional status. Thus, many independent-living older adults may need additional nutrition assessment and intervention to remain independent and in good nutritional status.