• Caterina Trevisan, Marianna Noale, Mattia Mazzochin, Giada Ida Greco, Alessandra Imoscopi, Stefania Maggi, Paolo Spinella, Enzo Manzato, Anna-Karin Welmer, and Giuseppe Sergi.
• Department of Medicine, Geriatrics Division, University of Padua, Padua, Italy; Aging Research Center, Department of Neurobiology, Care Sciences and Society, Karolinska Institutet and Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Medical Sciences, University of Ferrara, Ferrara, Italy. Electronic address: caterina.trevisan@unife.it.
• Nutrition. 2021 Oct 1; 90: 111429.

ObjectivesThe effect of falls on changes in body weight is still unknown. This study investigated the extent to which falls can modify the course of body weight in nursing home residents, and aimed to identify the factors that might modulate this effect.MethodsThe sample included 132 residents aged ≥60 y who had experienced at least one fall after nursing home admission. Body weight was measured monthly in the 6 mo after the fall in the entire sample, and also in the 6 mo prefall in a subsample (n = 111). Sociodemographic and health data were obtained from medical records. Linear mixed models were used to estimate the average monthly changes in body weight after the fall in the total sample, and as a function of the sociodemographic and medical factors.ResultsFalls modified the course of body weight in the total sample (β = -0.28, 95% confidence interval, -0.44 to -0.12, for the change in slope before and after fall) in all age classes and especially in individuals with severe cognitive impairment who received less-frequent informal visits (β = -0.55, 95% confidence interval, -0.87 to -0.22). Individuals aged ≥90 y and those with severe cognitive impairment had a steeper monthly weight decline in the 6 mo postfall, of 0.23 and 0.35 kg greater, respectively, than their younger and cognitively healthier counterparts.ConclusionsFalls may trigger a body weight loss in nursing home residents, especially in the oldest old people and those with severe cognitive impairment who receive little support from informal caregivers. These findings highlight the importance of monitoring nutritional status of people who live in institutions after falls.Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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