Icon Legend

This session is not in your schedule.

This session is in your schedule. Click again to remove it.

Back

Topical Area: Aging and Chronic Disease

Aging and Chronic Disease (Poster Session)

(P23-033-23) Improving the Dietary Habits of Institutionalized Subjects With Dysphagia: What Alternatives to Traditional Pureed Food?

Monday, July 24, 2023

11:45 AM – 12:45 PM ET

Location: Poster Board 32

Presenting Author(s)

Dario Gregori, PhD (he/him/his)

Full Professor of biostatistics
University of Padova
Padova, Veneto, Italy

Co-Author(s)

GL

Giulia Lorenzoni

Unit of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Public Health (University of Padova)
SS

Samir Sukkar

San Martino Hospital

Disclosure(s):

Dario Gregori, PhD: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Objectives: Institutionalized patients with dysphagia are at high-risk risk of malnutrition. Preparing and administering meals for these patients pose several difficulties, including guaranteeing a nutritionally balanced meal suitable for dysphagic patients, the fact that pureed food tends to be not appetizing, and the time restrictions for administering the meal given the low ratio of nurses per patient.

This study investigated two texture-modified models, (i) traditional home-made pureed food (PF) and (ii) homogenized meals obtained from dehydrated and rehydrated instantaneous preparations (OI).

Methods: Observational retrospective study on institutionalized patients with dysphagia aged 41 – 81 years. Changes in body composition parameters were assessed via Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) at 2 and 4-month follow-ups, together with nutritional status. Furthermore, the level of satisfaction with the menu was investigated.

Results: The analysis included 30 subjects, 15 administered with OI. At baseline, no differences between the two groups were detected in the Mini Nutritional Assessment score. No significant changes from baseline to follow-up were detected in the OI and PF groups concerning body composition parameters and nutritional status. However, subjects administered with OI were significantly more likely to be satisfied with the menu than those administered with CF (p-value < 0.001).

Conclusions: Even though no significant differences were detected at follow-up for nutritional and body composition parameters, the OI method resulted in higher levels of satisfaction. Such findings are relevant for improving the diet of institutionalized patients with dysphagia since meal satisfaction is a relevant factor for the well-being of institutionalized patients because literature has shown that dissatisfaction is associated with worse nutritional status in the long term.

Funding Sources: None