The association between malnutrition awareness and social factors in community-dwelling older adults in the Northern Netherlands: a cross-sectional study.

Authors

Lynn Huisman, Harriët Jager-Wittenaar, Martine J Sealy

Published in

BMC nutrition. Volume 12. Issue 1. Jun 24, 2026. Epub Jun 24, 2026.

Abstract

Malnutrition is a prevalent and serious problem among community-dwelling older adults and is associated with adverse health outcomes, including functional limitations, reduced quality of life, and increased mortality. Awareness of malnutrition and its early signs is essential for timely recognition and prevention. However, quantitative evidence on malnutrition awareness and its social factors among older adults remains limited. This study aimed to determine the degree of malnutrition awareness in community-dwelling older adults and to explore its association with social, demographic, and health factors.
A cross-sectional study was conducted among community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 65 years in the Northern Netherlands. Participants completed a paper or digital questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of the MAS and additional items assessing social, demographic and health factors. Malnutrition awareness was assessed with the Malnutrition Awareness Scale (MAS; scale from 0 to 22). Associations with social, demographic, and health factors were examined using univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses.
A total of 216 participants were included (57% female). The median [interquartile range] MAS score was 16 [14-18], indicating that approximately half of participants demonstrated relatively high malnutrition awareness. In multivariate analyses, a larger social network (B = 0.12; p = 0.004) and female gender (B = 0.99; p = 0.036) were significantly associated with higher MAS scores.
The majority of the community-dwelling older adults scored in the upper range of the scale of malnutrition awareness. Larger social networks and female gender are associated with higher malnutrition awareness scores, underscoring the importance of social context in shaping malnutrition awareness. Public health initiatives are advised to focus on strengthening social networks and also to increase knowledge and cues about malnutrition, as these factors may be associated to the degree of malnutrition awareness.

PMID:
42343412
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 14 Oct 2026.

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