(P22-004-25) Latest Data From the National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants (NSOAAP) Continue to Confirm Malnutrition Risk

Objectives: 1) Identify malnutrition risk (MR) among older adults in the 2022 and 2023 National Survey of Older Americans Act Participants (NSOAAP) to determine changes in MR during these years and 2) begin to assess MR presence, causes, and treatment.

Methods: The NSOAAP is an annual cross-sectional survey of free-living Older Americans Act (OAA) participants, including those enrolled in the nutrition program (congregate or home-delivered meals) and those receiving homemaker, case management, and/or transportation services. It uses a 2-stage sampling process, first selecting a sample of Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) and then randomly sampling participants from each AAA. Our study was a cross-sectional analysis of 2022 (n=3531) and 2023 (n=4159) NSOAAP data. For the first time in 2022, the NSOAAP included the Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST), a validated self-report of unintended weight loss and decreased food intake due to poor appetite. MR was defined as an MST score ≥ 2. MR prevalence (mean and 95% Confidence Intervals) was estimated for the total NSOAAP survey population and those within each OAA program.

Results: No significant difference existed between overall MR prevalence in 2022 vs 2023 NSOAAP participants (p < 0.10). The 2022 NSOAAP MR prevalence was 19.4%, with no significant differences between participants in various OAA programs. The 2023 NSOAAP MR prevalence was 17.2%, with MR significantly lower among congregate meal participants compared to other OAA program participants.

Conclusions: In 2023, >4 years post the COVID-19 pandemic, MR prevalence was still present in nearly 20% of NSOAAP participants. MR screening in the NSOAAP provides a useful benchmark for monitoring and assessing the OAA program's effectiveness in impacting malnutrition. Integrating MR screening and assessment more fully into OAA programs, other community and institutional settings, and into related social service and health systems would strengthen links between community nutrition programs and other health and social services.

Funding Sources: None