Abstract
Objective: Investigate in-patients weight loss during hospital stay.
Methods: In a retrospective study carried out with 170 in-patients,
weight loss during hospitalization and its relationship with the type of
disease, diet therapy, subjective global assessment (SGA), nutritional
risk screening (NRS), anthropometry and hospitalization time (HT) were
investigated. The Chi-square test, the Mann-Whitney and the univariate
and multiple Cox regression analysis were used. Results: During
hospitalization 41.18% patients experienced weight loss. Patients who
were overweight experienced a higher rate of weight loss while in the
ward (45.7% of patients; p=0.0179). Patients who were overweight, were
twice as likely to lose weight during hospitalization, when compared
with those who were already underweight (p= 0.0339; HR = 2.312; CI % =
1.066; 5.018). The age, gender, disease, diet prescribed during
hospitalization, SGA, NRS, anthropometry and fasting time were not
considered risk factors associated with weight loss. Conclusion: There
was no influence of the dietary therapy type on weight loss. Only those
patients who were overweight according to BMI were more associated to
lose weight during hospitalization.