# Effect of Health Education on Nutritional Status of Elderly Population in a Rural Area in Delhi: An Interventional Study

## TL;DR

This study shows that health education can improve the nutritional status of elderly people in a rural area of Delhi.

## Contribution

The paper demonstrates the effectiveness of health education in reducing malnutrition among elderly populations in rural settings.

## Key findings

- Before the intervention, 40% of elderly subjects were malnourished.
- After health education, malnutrition prevalence decreased by 24.1%.

## Abstract

Background: The health of the elderly is an important issue defining the health status of the population. Malnutrition significantly increases morbidity and mortality and compromises the outcomes of other underlying conditions and diseases. The malnourished elderly are more likely to require health and social services, have more hospitalizations, and cause a burden on caregivers.

Aim: To study the effect of health education on the nutritional status of elderly aged 60 years and above in a rural area of Delhi.

Methodology: A community-based interventional study was conducted in the Barwala village, which is a rural area in Delhi. A total of 205 elderly were assessed using the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) Tool. Health education was provided as an intervention using poster presentation, audio-visual aids, and pamphlets distribution.

Statistical analysis: Quantitative data was expressed by mean and SD, and tested by Student’s t-test (paired) or Mann-Whitney U test, while qualitative data was expressed in percentage and tested by chi-squared test or Fisher’s exact test.

Results: 83 (40%) subjects were malnourished, and a similar number, i.e., 84 (41%), was at risk of malnutrition according to the MNA score. The prevalence of malnutrition before and after the intervention was 83 (40.5%) and 63 (30.7%), respectively, which showed a 24.1% decrease in the prevalence of malnutrition after the intervention.

Conclusions: There was a high prevalence of malnutrition and risk of malnutrition among the elderly.