Unintended Weight Loss in Older Adults

UWL: Major Recommendations (2009)

Unintended Weight Loss in Older Adults Recommendations

Recommendations are categorized in terms of either conditional or imperative statements. While conditional statements clearly define a specific situation, imperative statements are broadly applicable to the target population and do not impose restraints on their application.

Conditional recommendations are presented in an if/then format, such that:

If CONDITION then ACTION(S) because REASON(S)

Fulfillment of the condition triggers one or more guideline-specified actions. In contrast, imperative recommendations include terms such as “require, ” “must, ” and “should, ” and do not contain conditional text that would limit their applicability to specified circumstances.

Resources Available with Each Recommendation

In addition to the recommendation statement and strength rating, you will find on each recommendation page:

  • A brief narrative summary of the evidence analyzed to reach the recommendation
  • A statement of justification, or reason for the strength of the recommendation
  • Detailed information on the evidence supporting the recommendations and background narrative (available in the Supporting Evidence section toward the bottom of each recommendation page)
  • A reference list at the end of each recommendation page that includes all the sources used in the evidence analysis for the particular recommendation (each reference is hyperlinked to a summary of the article analyzed in the evidence analysis).

Below you will find a list of the Unintended Weight Loss in Older Adults Recommendations, organized by topic.  Also view the Executive Summary of Recommendations or print the guideline material in PDF format.


To see the Recommendation Summary, just click on the Recommendation title.   

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults Major Recommendations 

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults:  Nutrition Screening

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults: Medical Nutrition Therapy

Nutrition Assessment

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults:  Assessment of Nutritional Status

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults:  Assessment of Food, Fluid and Nutrient Intake

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults: Assess Anthropometric Measurements

Nutrition Diagnosis

 Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults: Diagnosis of Involuntary Weight Loss

Nutrition Intervention

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults:  Resident Involvement in Meal Planning

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults:  Diet Liberalization

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults: Indications for Medical Food Supplements

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults: Enteral Nutrition

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults:  Energy Needs

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults: Eating Assistance

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults:  Dining Environment

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults: Collaboration for Modified Textured Diets

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults: Evaluation and Treatment of Depression

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults:  Appetite Stimulants

Monitoring and Evaluation

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults: Monitor and Evaluate Nutritional Status

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults: Monitor and Evaluate Food, Fluid and Nutrient Intake

Unintended Weight Loss (UWL) in Older Adults: Monitor and Evaluate Anthropometric Measurements