Nutritional status and psychological well-being

SummaryBackground & aimsPsychological well-being (PWB) is one of the main dimensions of the quality of life (QOL), which has less been used in nutritional studies. The aim was to examine the relationship between the nutritional status of 65+ residents in service housing units and their PWB.MethodIn this cross-sectional study, Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and a structured questionnaire were used in assessing the residents. Six dimensions of PWB were included in the questionnaire.ResultsOf all the residents, 67% (n = 1475) participated. Of them, 22% were well-nourished and 13% malnourished according to the MNA. PWB was good in 41% (score ≥ 0.80) and poor in 12% (score < 0.40) of the residents. Residents' good nutritional status, having meals served in a common dining room and eating larger proportion of the offered food were associated with good PWB. In logistic regression analysis the higher MNA score was an independent predictor of the highest class of PWB (OR 1.11, 95% CI 1.06–1.16, p < 0.001).ConclusionsNutritional status is an important dimension affecting service housing residents' PWB. Professionals should pay attention to nutritional care in order to ensure PWB of aged residents.