Abdul Momin Rizwan Ahmad, Katrina A Ronis.
Nutritional status of Pakistan's elderly population: A comparative review with low to middle income countries.
Pak J Public Health Jan ;5(2):30-3.

The main focus to date in Pakistan regarding nutritional status has been with mothers and children under the age of ve. The 2011 National Nutrition Survey for Pakistan acknowledged that the nutritional status of the elderly needs greater attention. Globally the number of people living longer is increasing and their nutritional status is a contributing factor in their quality of life. This review has compared results from Nestle's Mini Nutritional Assessment tool utilised in Pakistan and six other low to middle income countries to ascertain whether elderly are at risk of malnutrition. Review Approach: A comprehensive review of academic publications was performed using the following databases PubMed, the Cochrane Library, Sage, EM Base, Bio Med Central, Science direct, and INASP. Literature that was published from 1997 to 2013 was included in the review and those studies that utilised the Nestle Mini Nutritional Assessment tool where included. Main Findings: Data regarding the elderly and their risk of malnutrition using the Mini Nutritional Assessment tool was obtained from six countries including Pakistan. Iran had the least percentage of elderly at risk of malnutrition (38.7%) and Bangladesh had the highest at 62%. The data from Pakistan revealed 43.3 % at risk of malnutrition. The sample sizes varied from n=102 to n=850 and elderly were assessed from a range of locations e.g. the community and in hospitals. Conclusion: The nutritional status of the elderly varied considerably from country to country and necessitates further research into how the tool is being utilised and conformity regarding where the elderly are accessed. Keywords: Nutritional status, elderly, ageing, developing countries, Mini Nutritional Assessment. (Pak J Public Health 2015;5(2):22-25 )

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