Características sociodemográficas y su influencia en el estado nutricional de adultos mayores que acuden a la consulta externa del Centro de Salud La Maná, 2021.

Abstract

The aim of this research was to determine the influence wielded by the sociodemographic characteristics in the nutritional status of the elderly who come to the outpatient clinic of “La Maná ” Health Center, 2021. The research was a descriptive, quantitative study and qualitative with a transversal design. The population consisted of 750 patients and the sample by 254 individuals. The statistical analysis resoluted that 42% of the sample presented risk of malnutrition and 20% state of malnutrition. Similarly, it was found that the age group with the highest risk of malnutrition was made up of people around 60- and 69-year-old. Regarding sex, the female gender was the group that presented the highest risk of malnutrition. The food represented one of the factors with the greatest impact on nutrition, due to the fact that most individuals do not consume the major food groups. Furthermore, it was observed that 53% of patients have two meals a day and 25% only one daily. A relationship was found statistically significant between gender and nutritional status (p<0.05), this positive association was also observed between age and nutritional status (p<0.05). Finally, the relationship between place of residence and educational level also showed a significant correlation (p<0.05) with the patient nutrition. These findings allowed to conclude that the sociodemographic factors have a significant impact on the level of care dependency and on the nutritional status of the elderly.