Department of Global Health

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Browsing Department of Global Health by Author "Achar, Esther Amondi"

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    The prevalence and impact of malnutrition in hospitalized adult patients in Mbagathi District Hospital, Nairobi – Kenya
    (Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University, 2019-03) Achar, Esther Amondi; Blaauw, Renee; Visser, Janicke; Ocholla, Sophie; Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences. Dept. of Global Health. Human Nutrition.
    ENGLISH SUMMARY : Introduction: Malnutrition is a public health problem that is affecting both the developed and developing world, and in Africa, little focus has been placed on the presence of malnutrition in hospitalized adults in recent years. Its prevalence among hospitalized patients ranges between 30% and 76%. Malnutrition was first identified by Florence Nightingale in soldiers of war and was first reported by Charles Butterworth in 1974. Both persons identified malnutrition as a problem that was undiagnosed and overlooked in most settings. Most studies conducted in Africa have not highlighted the burden of adult malnutrition within the hospital setting, yet malnutrition is associated with negative treatment outcomes in affected patients. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of risk of malnutrition among hospitalized adult patients in Mbagathi District Hospital, a public hospital in Kenya. Methods: Patients above 18 years old were screened for eligibility within 48 hours of their admission. The nutrition risk screening tool (NRS-2002) was used to identify the prevalence of risk of malnutrition in patients among the various disease categories at both admission and discharge. Patients were drawn from medical, surgical and gynaecological wards. Referral of malnourished patients for nutrition support was also investigated. Results: The study included 384 adult patients, of which 55.2% (n=212) were female. Discharge information was obtained from 94 patients. The mean age on admission was 39.61 ±13.86 years, average BMI of 19.0 ±4.7 kg/m2, mean nutritional risk score was 3.39 ±1.09 SD and the average length of hospital stay was 7.5 ±5.0 days. The prevalence of the risk of malnutrition was 81.9% on admission and 77.6% on discharge. The highest prevalence of malnutrition was among patients diagnosed with HIV/TB, followed by those with gastrointestinal tract and respiratory infections. Despite the malnutrition risks being high on admission, the number of referrals made for nutrition support was low at 33%. Conclusion: The prevalence of risk of malnutrition is high among hospitalized adult patients. In most cases patients are not referred for nutrition support despite studies having shown its negative impact on treatment outcomes.