Assessing the Role of Socioeconomic and Comorbid Factors on Nutritional Status Among Older Adults

Malnutrition in old age is a serious worldwide health concern, with complicated relationships between socioeconomic, health, and physiological factors. This research examines the influence of socioeconomic status, comorbidities, and sociodemographic factors on the nutritional status of older people in Bangladesh. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effect of factors like age, gender, education, income, marital status, financial independence, diabetes, hypertension, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease on the risk of malnutrition among older people. A cross-sectional survey was performed with 622 participants at three of the biggest hospitals in Dhaka, Bangladesh. A validated self-reported questionnaire was utilized to obtain the data. Multinomial logistic regression was used to analyze the relationship between the explanatory factors and nutritional status, and Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) was used to evaluate nutritional status. The research indicated that older age (70 and older), female sex, illiteracy, lower income, financial dependence, and chronic disease conditions like diabetes, kidney disease, and cardiovascular disease were all strongly linked with a higher risk of malnutrition. Multinomial logistic regression indicated that those aged 70 and older were 7.25 times more likely to be malnourished than those in the 60-69-year-old age group. In the same way, participants with diabetes and with kidney disease had much increased chances of malnourishment. Malnutrition among older people is closely related to sociodemographic and comorbid factors. This paper emphasizes the imperatives of evidence-based interventions to enhance the nutritional status of at-risk subject populations, that is, older people with chronic conditions and lower socioeconomic status. Broader education, healthcare services, and social support are critical to reduce malnutrition risk in this group.