It is well known that malnutrition is common among older persons and has a negative impact on health. Even though there is a growing literature on nutrition and aging, few studies focus on longitudinal changes in later life. The aims of this study are to characterize general nutritional status development over time, to identify clusters of nutritional status trajectories, as well as to study the association between the nutritional status trajectories and death. The baseline sample is drawn from the Screening Across the Lifespan Twins (SALT) study. All participants of SALT that had at least 3 assessments according to Mini Nutritional Status Shortform (MNA-SF) documented in the Senior Alert quality register between 2008 and 2015 were included for analyses (N=1509). At the first registration, mean age was 82.4 ± 7.5. According to MNA-SF, 13.3% persons were malnourished, 44.9% were at risk of malnutrition, and 41.8 % were well nourished. Preliminary analysis indicate that despite a general decline in nutritional status in old age, there is a large variability in the sample, making the data suitable for latent class trajectory analyses. Initial analyses also indicate that decrease in nutritional status is associated with decreased survival. Consequently, deterioration in nutritional status seems to be associated with mortality. Detecting malnutrition in older age is important in order to avoid premature death.
Supplement: New Lens on Aging: Changing Attitudes, Expanding Possibilities