ORIGINAL COMMUNICATION The nutritional status of 1081 elderly people residing in publicly funded shelter homes in Peninsular Malaysia

underweight with 14.3% of subjects recording a low body mass index (BMI) o18.5 kg/m 2 and a further 18.2% recording a BMI between 18.5 and 20 kg/m 2 . The residential geriatric depression score (GDS-12R) (relative risk (RR) ¼ 1.03 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.01–1.05); P ¼ 0.002) and the number of illnesses (RR ¼ 1.14 (95% CI 1.07–1.21); Po 0.001) were found to be independently associated with nutritional risk (NHC score Z 3). Using a BMIo18.5 kg/m 2 as an objective marker for nutritional risk, the NHC was shown to have a sensitivity of 66.4% (95% CI 58.0–74.2%), specificity of 42.7% (95% CI 39.3–46.1%), positive predictive value of 16.2% (95% CI 13.3–19.5%) and a negative predictive value of 88.4% (95% CI 84.9–91.4%). Conclusions: Many elderly people residing in publicly funded shelter homes in Malaysia may be at-risk of undernutrition, and were underweight. The NHC is better used as an awareness tool rather than as a screening tool. Sponsorship: A grant from University Putra Malaysia to Dr Zaiton Ahmad.