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HOMEFOOD randomised trial – Six-month nutrition therapy improves quality of life, self-rated health, cognitive function, and depression in older adults after hospital discharge
Depression, cognitive deterioration, and a lower quality of life are all linked to malnutrition, which is common in older persons. However, the effectiveness of nutrition interventions in improving these outcomes remains uncertain. This study by Blondal et al. (2022) aimed to assess how nutrition treatment affected depression, self-rated health, health-related quality of life (EQ-5D), and cognitive function in older persons living in the community after being recently released from the hospital. Adults aged 65 and above were randomly assigned to either an intervention group (n = 53) or a control group (n = 53). The intervention group received personalized nutrition therapy based on the nutrition care process, which included 5 home visits and 3 phone calls over six months, along with free energy- and protein-rich foods and oral nutrition supplements. The Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression – IOWA (CES-D) scale, self-rated health, Mini-Mental-State-Examination (MMSE), and EQ-5D measures were administered at baseline and at the conclusion of the trial. Two participants dropped out, one from each group. The control group showed increased depressive symptoms and a decline in self-rated health over the study period. In contrast, the intervention group showed improvements in cognitive function, self-rated health, and EQ-5D, with significant differences at the endpoint between the groups, all in favor of the intervention group. Improvements in MMSE, self-rated health, and CES-D were positively associated with body weight gain during the intervention. In older adults receiving standard care after hospital discharge, cognitive function and mental well-being either stagnated or worsened. However, the six-month nutrition therapy significantly improved these outcomes, resulting in meaningful and statistically significant differences between the groups. These enhancements were linked to weight growth and higher nutritional consumption, with an emphasis on energy and protein, which probably improved mental health and cognitive performance. [NPID: Self-rated health, nutrition status, oral nutrition supplements, food]
Year: 2022
