Malnutrition and Frailty Risk Among Community Dwelling Older Adults in Northeast Tennessee

Frailty and malnutrition are prevalent conditions among community-dwelling older adults, affecting approximately 10% and 25% of this population, respectively. Despite overlapping symptoms such as functional decline, their relationship remains underexplored in community dwelling older adults. This cross-sectional feasibility study examined the association between frailty and nutritional status among 47 older adults in the East Tennessee Tri-Cities area using the Fried’s Frailty Phenotype (FFP) and the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Long Form (MNA-LF®). Results indicated 13% were pre-frail, 24% were frail, 21% were at risk for malnutrition, and 2% were malnourished. Regression analyses revealed that self-perceived nutritional status (37.6%), daily meal frequency (29.0%), and study site (17.3%) significantly predicted malnutrition scores, while study site accounted for 9.5% of variance in frailty scores. No significant association was found between frailty and malnutrition status, likely due to limited sample size in feasibility studies. Findings underscore the importance of routine, multidisciplinary screening for both frailty and malnutrition in community-dwelling older adults.