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

Abstract 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 (≥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…