Abstract
The majority of the public health problems in Brazil are related to nutritional status. Population aging is a reality and presents great challenges, especially for the health sector. Since nutrition plays a role in modulating the aging process, in the etiology of diseases and in the functional declines associated with aging, evaluation and nutritional monitoring of the elderly are necessary for proper care and planning of health promotion strategies. In this context, the present study aimed to reflect on the monitoring methods and proposed indicators of nutritional assessment of the elderly. It presents a summary of Ministry of Health recommendations which guide the care and nutritional assessment provided to the elderly by the National Health Service (SUS). The recommended procedures for the diagnosis and monitoring of the nutritional status of the elderly, though suggesting an increasing importance of monitoring food consumption indicators, end up emphasizing the use of anthropometric measures, especially the body mass index. The incorporation of other indicators in monitoring the elderly demonstrates progress in the recognition of the fundamental issues that need to be incorporated into professional practice and routine primary care. However, these indicators must be used by the professional as part of a critical, team-based approach, it being understood that no single indicator will meet the needs of all the elements of nutritional assessment, especially when it comes to the elderly.
Elderly; Nutritional Assessment; Primary Health Care
