Social Factors Associated with Nutrition Risk in Community-Dwelling Older Adults in High-Income Countries: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND:In high-income countries, between 65 and 70 percent of community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older are at high nutrition risk. Nutrition risk is the risk of poor dietary intake and nutritional status. Consequences of high nutrition risk include frailty, hospitalization, death, and reduced quality of life. Social factors (such as social support and commensality) are known to influence eating behavior in later life; however, to the authors' knowledge, no reviews have been conducted examining how these social factors are associated with nutrition risk specifically. OBJECTIVE:The objective of this scoping review is to understand the extent and type of evidence concerning the relationship between social factors and nutrition risk among community-dwelling older adults in high-income countries (HIC) and to identify social interventions that address nutrition risk in community-dwelling older adults in HIC. METHODS:This review will follow the scoping review methodology as outlined by the JBI Manual for Evidence Synthesis, and the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. The search will include MEDLINE, CINAHL, PsychInfo, and Web of Science. There will be no date limits placed on the search. However, only resources available in English will be included. EndNote and Covidence will be used for reference management and removal of duplicate studies. Articles will be screened, and data extracted by at least 2 independent reviewers using Covidence. Data to be extracted will include study characteristics (country, methods, aims, design, dates), participant characteristics (population description, inclusion and exclusion criteria, recruitment method, total number of participants, demographics), how nutrition risk was measured (including the tool used to measure nutrition risk), social factors or interventions examined (including how these were measured or determined), the relationship between nutrition risk and the social factors examined, and details of social interventions designed to address nutrition risk. RESULTS:The scoping review was started in October 2023 and will be finalized by August 2024. Findings will describe the social factors commonly examined in the nutrition risk literature, the relationship between these social factors and nutrition risk, the social factors that have an impact on nutrition risk, and social interventions designed to address nutrition risk. The results of the extracted data will be presented in the form of a narrative summary with accompanying tables. CONCLUSIONS:Given the high prevalence of nutrition risk in community-dwelling older adults in high-income countries and the negative consequences of nutrition risk, it is essential to understand the social factors associated with nutrition risk. The results of the review are anticipated to aid in identifying individuals who should be screened proactively for nutrition risk and inform programs, policies, and interventions designed to reduce the prevalence of nutrition risk. CLINICALTRIAL: