The multidimensional background of malnutrition among rural older individuals in Bangladesh--a challenge for the Millennium Development Goal.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the associations and relative impact of illness, socio-economic and social indicators for nutritional status among elderly persons in rural Bangladesh.

DESIGN: A multidisciplinary, cross-sectional study employing home interviews to collect information on demographic, socio-economic and social status; clinical examination to classify medical diagnoses; and Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) to assess the nutritional status of each participant.

SETTING: Matlab, Bangladesh.

SUBJECTS: A total of 625 randomly selected individuals (>or=60 years of age) participated in home interviews and 473 underwent clinical examination. Complete information on nutritional status was available for 457 individuals, median age 68 years, 55 % women.

RESULTS: Twenty-six per cent of the elderly participants were undernourished and 62 % were at risk of malnutrition according to MNA. More than three-quarters of the participants had acute infections, 66 % suffered from chronic illnesses, 36 % had sensory impairments and 81 % were suffering from gastrointestinal disorders. Acute infections (P < 0.001), gastrointestinal disorders (P < 0.01), depressive symptoms (P < 0.001) and impaired cognitive function (P < 0.01) were significantly and independently associated with poorer nutritional status. Moreover, female gender (P < 0.05), having no income (P < 0.01), being illiterate (P < 0.01) and not receiving regular financial support (P < 0.05) were also independently associated with poor nutritional status.

CONCLUSIONS: Malnutrition among elderly people in rural Bangladesh is associated with female gender, medical, psychological, socio-economic and social indicators. A multidimensional approach is probably needed to reduce undernutrition in older populations in low-income countries like Bangladesh.