Nutritional status, dietary intake, and clinical-functional vulnerability among older adults receiving care at a family health strategy in Santa Maria/RS

Resumo

Introduction: Population aging, together with epidemiological and nutritional transitions, has increased the need for nutritional and functional assessment of older adults in Primary Health Care (PHC). Objective: To assess the nutritional status, dietary intake, and clinical-functional vulnerability of older adults attending a Family Health Strategy (FHS) unit in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Methods: This cross-sectional, descriptive, analytical study with a quantitative approach was conducted between August and October 2025 with 30 older adults (aged ≥60 years) of both sexes, selected by convenience sampling. The food consumption markers of the Brazilian Food and Nutrition Surveillance System (SISVAN) were applied, together with anthropometric assessment, including weight, height, body mass index (BMI), and calf circumference (CC), and the Clinical-Functional Vulnerability Index-20 (CFVI-20). Data were analyzed in SPSS using descriptive statistics and tests of association, adopting a significance level of 5% (p ≤ 0.05). Results: Women predominated (83,3%; n = 25), and the mean age was 70.1 ± 6.5 years. A high frequency of overweight was observed (63,3%; n = 19), while 36,7% (n = 11) had reduced CC. Regarding clinical-functional vulnerability, 83,3% of participants had some degree of vulnerability, with 40,0% (n = 12) classified as moderate risk and 43,3% (n = 13) as high risk. Overweight predominated among those classified as moderate risk (83,4%) and high risk (61,5%). A statistically significant association was observed between regular consumption of vegetables and adequate CC (p = 0.029), with 73,9% of participants who reported this consumption having adequate CC. Conclusion: The study population showed a high frequency of overweight, along with clinical-functional vulnerability and reduced CC. Regular vegetable consumption was associated with adequate CC. These findings highlight the applicability of anthropometric measures and clinical-functional screening instruments in PHC to identify nutritional and functional changes in older adults.