Poor Appetite Is Associated with Six Month Mortality in Hospitalised Older Men and Women

Objectives Appetite loss is common in hospitalised older individuals but not routinely assessed. Poor appetite in hospital has previously been identified as predictive of greater mortality in the six months following discharge in a single study of female patients. The present study aimed to assess this association in a larger sample including both hospitalised men and women. Design Longitudinal observational study with six month follow up. Setting Acute hospital wards in a single large hospital in England. Participants Older inpatients aged over 70 years. Measurements Appetite was assessed using the Simplified Nutritional Appetite Questionnaire (SNAQ) during hospital stay. Deaths during six month follow-up period were recorded. Association between SNAQ score during hospital admission and death 6 months post-discharge was assessed using binary logistic regression in unadjusted and adjusted analysis. Results 296 participants (43% female, mean age 83 years (SD 6.9)) were included in this study. Prevalence of poor appetite (SNAQ score