Association of the nutritional state with the functional capacity of institutionalized elderly in a country of the cearense sertao

Introduction: Nutritional status and functional performance are important indicators of elderly health. The nutritional state, associated with aging, participates in body modifications, contributing to the reduction of lean mass. Objective: To evaluate the nutritional status and functional capacity of institutionalized elderly in the city of Quixada-CE. Materilas and methods: A field research was conducted through a cross-sectional, descriptive and quantitative study of elderly aged >= 60 years, assisted in a nursing home in the city of Quixada-CE. For data collection, a sociodemographic profile form, Mini Nutritional Assessment, functional capacity assessment using the Katz scale for Basic Daily Life Assessment and Lawton scale for Instrumental Daily Life Assessment were used. The analysis was presented as absolute (n) and relative (%) frequencies, mean and standard deviation and Pearson correlation was performed. Results: After applying and analyzing the mini nutritional assessment, it was observed that females (58.8%) have a higher risk of malnutrition than males (37.5. In the evaluation of functional capacity, the elderly showed greater dependence on activities Pearson's correlation showed a statistically significant positive correlation between BMI / CB, BMI / CP and CB / CP Conclusion: Although the study did not show malnutrition among the evaluated, it is important to constantly assess the nutritional status. We suggest further studies with a larger sample so that the necessary interventions can be performed.