Double Burden of Malnutrition among Hospitalized Adults and Length of Hospital Stay in Hanoi, Vietnam: A Multicentre Prospective Cohort Study

Background: Evidence regarding the double burden of malnutrition (DBM) among hospitalized patients in Vietnam remains limited. This study examined nutritional status at admission and its association with length of hospital stay among adults in Hanoi. Methods: This prospective observational cohort study was conducted in eight public hospitals in Hanoi between September 2018 and November 2019. Adults aged 18-60 years were assessed within 48 hours of admission using interviews, physical examination, anthropometric measurements, and medical records. Nutritional status was classified using the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA) and body mass index (BMI): undernourished (SGA-B or SGA-C or BMI <18.5 kg/m2) and overnourished (SGA-A and BMI [&ge;]25.0 kg/m2). Length of stay was compared across nutritional-status groups using the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: Among 1,183 registered patients, 1,115 had sufficient data for analysis. Overall, 24% were undernourished and 16% overnourished. Weight loss during the preceding six months was reported by 54%, although most losses were <5%. SGA-B or SGA-C was identified in 20%, whereas 11% had BMI <18.5 kg/m2. The median hospital stay was 8 days, with no significant difference across nutritional status groups. Conclusions DBM was prevalent among hospitalized adults in Hanoi. Indicators of recent nutritional deterioration were more common than low BMI, suggesting that BMI alone may overlook early disease-related nutritional decline. Nutritional status was not associated with length of stay in this relatively young, predominantly mild-to-moderate patient population. Hospital nutritional screening should therefore assess recent nutritional changes across the full BMI spectrum.