Refrigerator content and hospital admission in old people

Article Article scientifique Article Refrigerator content and hospital admission in old people eng 2000 author Boumendjel Nadir 551329 author Herrmann François 70980 author Girod Véronique 29825 author Sieber Cornel 133429 author Rapin Charles-Henri 21912 356 10.1016/S0140-6736(00)02583-6 10950235 0140-6736 We assessed whether the refrigerator contents of elderly people could be related to subsequent admission to hospital. 132 patients aged over 65 years had a thorough assessment of their refrigerator contents and the numbers and dates of admission were recorded. Elderly people with empty refrigerators were more frequently admitted (p=0.032) in the month after assessment and three times sooner than those who did not have empty refrigerators (34 vs 100 days, p=0.002). How full is your refrigerator? According to Nadir Boumendjel and colleagues, the contents of an elderly person's refrigerator may be an indicator of imminent hospital admission. During 11 months, the researchers looked at the refrigerator's content in the homes of 132 people older than 65 years who had been discharged from hospital at least 1 month previously. Elderly people were more likely to be admitted to hospital in the month after assessment if their refrigerator was empty (fewer than three different food items), and were admitted sooner than those with a full refrigerator (about 1 month {vs} over 3 months). Quantity of food, not quality of food, was related to admission. Boumendjel and colleagues concluded that an empty refrigerator may suggest malnutrition in the elderly; therefore, early detection and preventive measures should be taken to avert the consequences of geriatric undernourishment. Alimentation Gériatrie Hospitalisation Médecine Santé Dewey 618.97 14 Centre interfacultaire de gérontologie et d'études des vulnérabilités 0D6 65 Département de réadaptation et gériatrie 22B false Lancet 356 668628d7-a8fa-4a89-8f09-1f91898284a8 Article (Published version) Restricted file1.pdf 1191470 application/pdf restrictedAccess Centres et instituts / Centre interfacultaire de gérontologie et d'études des vulnérabilités Faculté de médecine / Section de médecine clinique / Département de réadaptation et gériatrie

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Refrigerator content and hospital admission in old people	Lancet			2000	727	2

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