Relationship between malnutrition and selected risk factors in two hospitals in Vietnam

Abstract

Aim:The purpose of the present study was to determine the percentage of patients assessed as malnourished using the Subjective Global Assessment in two hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City and Can Tho across multiple wards; and to investigate the association with factors including gender, age, days since admission, medical diagnosis and number of medications used. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 205 inpatients from a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City and 78 inpatients and 89 outpatients from a hospital in Can Tho. Malnutrition status was assessed using Subjective Global Assessment. Ward, gender, age, medical diagnosis, time since admission and medication number were extracted from medical records. Results: Up to 36% of inpatients and 9.0% of outpatients were malnourished. Multivariate analysis revealed factors predicting malnutrition status within inpatients (OR (95% CI)) were: age (OR = 1.03 (1.01-1.06)); cancer diagnosis (OR = 34.25 (3.16-370.89)); respiratory ward (11.49 (1.05-125.92)); or general medicine ward (20.34 (2.10-196.88)). Conclusions: Results indicate that malnutrition is a common problem in hospitals in Vietnam. Further research is needed to confirm this finding across a wider range of hospitals and to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of implementation of nutrition interventions in hospital settings.

Nutritional status of Vietnamese outpatients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

“…More recent findings suggest the burden of undernutrition in Vietnam to be improving, with 9% of the general population found to have a BMI <18.5 kg m –2 ( ) . Despite the economic growth and improvements in nutritional status over the past decade, malnutrition is still common in Vietnam, particularly within the hospital setting and areas of social deprivation .…”

“…More recent findings suggest the burden of undernutrition in Vietnam to be improving, with 9% of the general population found to have a BMI <18.5 kg m -2 (36) . Despite the economic growth and improvements in nutritional status over the past decade, malnutrition is still common in Vietnam, particularly within the hospital setting (13) and areas of social deprivation (3,37) . The SGA was considered the gold standard for nutritional assessment in the present study because it is valid in both acute and outpatient settings, and assesses anthropometric, dietary, functional, gastrointestinal and physical changes to diagnose malnutrition (17) .…”

Working through Others - A Qualitative Content Analysis of Nursing Students' Experiences with Malnutrition at One Hospital in Vietnam

“…Research shows that malnutrition causes problems in Vietnam, and the healthcare system lacks screening methods for detecting malnutrition [1,2]. Furthermore, the Western lifestyle has changed Vietnamese food habits by increasing the intake of sugar and fast food, which has resulted in increased obesity, while malnutrition is still a problem [3].…”

“…One aspect that distinguishes Vietnamese from other nations' healthcare organizations, for example, those of Sweden, is a lack of food services at the hospital and health insurance, which is why a patient's family organizes foodservice when they are hospitalized [1,2]. Therefore, Jefferies, et al [11] emphasizes that nurses must get involved in the diet and nutrition provided by relatives to improve health food service at the hospital to improve recovery and decrease malnutrition.…”

“…Therefore, Jefferies, et al [11] emphasizes that nurses must get involved in the diet and nutrition provided by relatives to improve health food service at the hospital to improve recovery and decrease malnutrition. The government of Vietnam developed a national nutrition agenda to improve the population's health status to prevent, for example, hospital-related malnutrition [1,2], a cost-effective way to improve healthcare [4].…”