Nutritional status and duration of overnight fast among elderly residents in municipal nursing homes in Oslo

Abstract

Aim: To examine the duration of overnight fast and the significance of having an overnight fast below or above 11 hrs with respect to nutritional status among elderly nursing home residents. Background: Elderly nursing home residents are in high risk of malnutrition. In Norway it is recommended that the overnight fast should not exceed 11 hrs for elderly nursing home residents. Methods: Overnight fast and nutritional status was examined for 342 long-term nursing home residents. Nutritional status was evaluated by the Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool, body mass index (BMI), weight loss during the last 3-6 months, triceps skinfold thickness, upper arm muscle circumference, and hand-grip strength. Findings: For 98.5% of the participants the overnight fast was > 11 hrs. Median overnight fast was 15 hrs. Among the participants for whom the overnight fast exceeded 11 hrs, 35.6% were in middle or high risk of malnutrition, and 20% were underweight with BMI < 20 kg/m2. No differences in overnight fast were observed between the different categories of nutritional status in this group. Conclusion: For many participants the overnight fast exceeded recommended length. Future studies should further examine the significance of having an overnight fast below or above 11 hrs with respect to nutritional status for elderly nursing home residents.