Development of a home nutritional screening test(HN-test)

Abstract Nutritional assessment based on blood tests or physical measurements is difficult in the home. We therefore developed a noninvasive and simple screening test with an easily understandable intervention score. The subjects were 444 home nutrition patients or facility residents aged. 75 years. These subjects responded to 34 questions on meal environment, eating habits, oral environment, swallowing, and physical condition, and underwent arm muscle area measurement. With median arm muscle area for each age according to JARD 2001 taken as 100, the proportion of arm muscle area of subjects was calculated, and the correlation with the 34 questions was investigated. The number of items and score distribution were investigated with discriminant analysis, and a home nutritional screening test(HN-test) was completed for men and women separately. The HN-test consists 34 items and has three levels of classification : intervention needed, caution needed, and good. The sensitivity of this screening test is 93. 3% for men and 90. 6% for women, and undernutrition can be judged with a high probability.