Effects of nutrition status on activities of daily living among nursing home residents: the mediating role of physical function

Objective To explore the relationship between nutrition status and activity of daily livingof elders in nursing homes and the mediating effect of physical activity. Methods From Apr to Sep in 2016, 320 elders in nursing homes were selected and were surveyed using the standardized tools. The mediating effects were analyzed with PROCESS. Results The scores of elders′ nutrition status, physical function and activities of daily living were (11.88±2.27), (3.61±3.51), (79.13±26.00) points, respectively. And there were 66.9% elders suffering from activities of living life impaired. The nutrition status were significantly positive correlated with physical function and activities of daily living of elders, and the physical function were significantly positive correlated with activities of daily living of elders. The physical function partly mediated the association between nutrition status and activities of daily living, and the effect was reached to 39.1%. Conclusions The elders′activities of daily life was poor in nursing home in China. The physical function partly mediated the association between nutrition status and activities of daily living. The related departments could combine the long time and short time plans targeting at improving of nutrition status and physical function respectively, to enhance the outcomes of elders in nursing homes. Key words: Nursing home; Elders; Nutrition status; Physical function; Activities of daily living