Home-delivered between-meal snacks for fragile older adults – A pilot study

Abstract

Background

Fragile home-dwelling older adults are at risk of undernutrition despite receiving meal delivery services. Weight loss is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. To promote healthy aging, home-delivered between-meal snacks (BMS) were tested in a region of Denmark.

Methods

A quasi-experiment was set up with an intervention group (n=39, mean age 85.3) and a control group (n=32, mean age 80.8). The intervention group received BMS for 18 weeks corresponding to a weekly intake of 5600-9600 kJ and 40-112 g protein. The following outcomes were evaluated: weight, body mass index (BMI), body composition, and handgrip strength.

Results

The intervention group had increased weight (mean ±SD) of 0.88 ±2.96 kg and fat mass of 1.56 ±2.55 kg but reduced muscle mass of 0.14 ±1.09 kg resulting in an increased BMI of 0.35 ±1.22 kg/m². For comparison, the results of the control group were as follows: 0.29 ±2.56 kg, 0.27 ±3.65 kg, -0.04 ±1.76 kg, and 0.12 ±0.44 kg/m². The between-group mean differences were not statistically significant. The intervention group had an increased right handgrip strength of 1.40 ±5.27 kg, while a decrease of 1.41 ±3.27 kg was observed for the control group resulting in a statistically significant between-group mean difference.

Conclusion

This study suggests that BMS may reduce the risk of undernutrition and improve the functional status among fragile home-dwelling older adults, although the effect is minor. Nevertheless, the frequency of unplanned weight loss was lower within the intervention group even though the group constituted a more fragile population.