Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) as an Evaluation Tool in Community-Dwelling Nutrition Interventions for Older Adults: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Older adults living in community settings are at increased risk of malnutrition due to factors such as chronic illness, functional decline, and social isolation. This scoping review aimed to map the types of nutritional interventions implemented to prevent and manage malnutrition among community-dwelling older adults and to identify outcome measures used to assess their effectiveness, including the Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA). A scoping review was conducted following established methodological frameworks. Literature searches were conducted in the Web of Science, PubMed, and Ovid databases to identify English-language studies that described nutrition-related interventions targeting malnutrition among older adults living in community settings. Two
reviewers independently screened the articles, and relevant data were extracted and narratively synthesized. A total of 4,000 records were identified, of which 12 studies met the inclusion criteria. The most commonly reported interventions included oral nutritional supplementation, personalized dietary counselling, nutrition education, and social support–based approaches. The MNA was frequently used as a primary or secondary outcome measure to assess nutritional status. This review highlights the diversity of community-based nutritional interventions for older adults and the widespread use of the MNA in evaluating nutritional outcomes. The findings provide an overview of existing evidence and may inform future research, intervention development, and policy initiatives aimed at enhancing the nutritional status of community-dwelling older adults.