Older adults affected by disabling conditions, such as arthritis, are more likely to experience malnutrition. Past research suggests that poor nutritional status, also known as “nutritional risk” may be linked to functional impairment. Specifically, limitations with certain activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs)such as meal preparation, may be particularly impactful to a person’s susceptibility to nutritional risk. To help prevent progression to full-fledged malnutrition, screening tools have been designed to detect the presence of risk factors associated with nutritional risk. Using cross-sectional data from the CLSA (n=41,153), the aim of this work was to
- Describe the association between arthritis and nutritional risk,
- Describe the association between arthritis and nutritional risk while considering meal preparation impairment, and
- Assess the relationship between functional impairment and these associations. Nutritional risk scores, and whether the person had high nutritional risk were modelled using multiple linear and logistic regressions, respectively.
This webinar will present findings on how arthritis and functional limitations are associated with nutritional risk among older Canadian adults to help inform interventions and improve practices. The session will also consider the implications of these findings for early identification and support strategies.
Dr. Lisa Kakinami has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from UCLA, and a PhD in Epidemiology from the University of Rochester. A native Californian, Dr. Kakinami moved to Montreal in 2010 for a postdoctoral fellowship at McGill University and has been a faculty member in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Concordia University since 2014. Her research focuses on understanding the relationship between lifestyle factors, adiposity, and chronic diseases.
Théa Demmers grew up on a farm, reaping harvests on the Treaty and traditional territory of the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation. However, Montreal, located on unceded lands and waters stewarded by the Kanien’kehá:ka Nation, has been home since 2002. She is a dietitian-nutritionist and graduate of Messiah (2002) and McGill (2005) Universities. Since 2004, she has been a part of projects about food security, and has worked alongside mothers, teens, adults and athletes with nutrition counseling and workshops (often with cooking!) at various community organizations, and as a research professional and instructor at Concordia University. She loves getting to work with students and will always be one. She is currently a PhD candidate at l’École de Santé Publique, Université de Montréal.
Roxanne Bennett is a registered dietitian born and raised in Montreal/Tiohtià:ke, where she still resides. Passionate about the health sciences, she graduated from the dietetics program at Université de Montréal in 2016 and went on to complete an applied master’s degree at McGill University’s School of Human Nutrition in 2018, with a focus on public health. She currently works as a registered dietitian for Dairy Farmers of Canada. Her interests span the full spectrum of nutrition—from the core molecular mechanisms that shape health to broader trends in population nutrition.
