Improving aging-related frailty status among older adults: Results of a nutrition-focused program

Background: Healthcare professionals today aim to boost the years older people live in good health by reducing the impact of aging- related frailty. Toward healthier aging, our current analysis quantified frailty changes that occurred when poorly nourished, community-living, older adults received interventional nutrition care. Methods: We recruited outpatient study participants ≥60 years and malnourished or at-risk on screening (Mini Nutrition Assessment-Short Form, MNA-SF). For quasi-experimental anal ysis, we selected those who were prefrail or frail by Fried phenotype criteria (n=524). Each followed a comprehensive nutrition-focused Quality Improvement Program (QIP)—counseling on nutrition and physical activity, daily consumption of oral nutritional ments for 60 days (Ensure with Hydroxymethylbutyrate® and Glucerna®, Abbott, USA), with follow-up through day 90. We outcomes as changes from baseline to post-intervention for (i) overall frailty status (frail, prefrail, normal) or (ii) number of positive Fried frailty criteria of (weight loss, exhaustion, low physical activity, slow gait speed, and muscular weakness) using change categories Worse, Same, or Better. We also measured