Malnutrition among older adults in India: Does gender play a role?

Nutritional status of older adults in India: An exploration of the role of oral health and food insecurity factors

“…It was calculated using the standard BMI formula (weight of the individual in kg/square of height in meters). Based on BMI score, the participants were grouped into WHO standards; those samples with less than 18.5 kg/m 2 were categorized as "underweight", 18.5–24.9 kg/m 2 as "normal weight", and 25.0–29.9 kg/m 2 as "overweight" and above 30 kg/m 2 as "obese" [ 5 ].…”

“…Older adults generally tend to change their food preferences, patterns, and nutritional intake, and physical, emotional, and psychological aspects also witness alterations [ 1 ]. A study reported that as people age, they experience decreased average Body Mass Index (BMI) [ 5 ]. Remarkably, nutritional factors can slow ageing with lifestyle factors such as following a nutritious diet, physical activity, and avoiding unhealthy behaviour such as smoking [ 6 ].…”

“…Studies established that health risk behaviours such as smoking and alcohol consumption were significantly associated with the risk of nutritional problems [ 25 ]. There is a significant gender difference in weight among Indian adults, and females were more prone to be overweight or underweight than males due to health risk-related behaviours [ 5 ]. A study reported that economic vulnerability, residency, diagnosis with chronic diseases and depression were the major risk factors for malnutrition among eastern Ethiopian older adults [ 26 ].…”