Nutrition, Dementia and Depression in an Ambulatory Geriatric Care Center

Birmingham, John F., Nutritional Risk, Dementia Factors and Depression in an Ambulatory Geriatric Care Center. Master’s of Public Health (Clinical Research), May 2005, 60pp., 7 tables, 2 figures, reference list, 56 titles. Dementia is a major public health problem in the aging population. Depression, nutritional risk and declining self-efficacy are broadly listed risk factors for dementia. Cross-sectional patient data was obtained by chart review of ambulatory community-dwelling elderly patients screened for depression, dementia factors, levels of independence in activities associated with daily living and nutritional risk. The statistical coefficients of the correlational relationships between nutritional risks, dementia factors, depression levels and levels of functional capacity were examined using path analysis. Two models depicted the composite of instrumental activities of daily living items (IADLs), as they related to the dependent variables models, nutritional risk, dementia factors, and depression levels. The model which regressed the IADLs composite variable against depression and dementia factors indicated a good fit (X2=0.00, p=0.01). Attempts to match screening data with diagnostic follow-up data were unsuccessful. Only 12 matches occurred between the GAP and CARE databases (N=256, N=1470).