Body Mass Index Monitoring for Residents

In 2000, Dietary Services focused on a performance indicator: Body Mass Index (BMI). The literature reveals that residents in long-term care facilities with a BMI over 25 kg/m² presented with a lower mortality rate than those under the 25 kg/m² mark, and that better resistance to infection was noted with a BMI between 24 and 27 kg/m². However, the average BMI of elderly people in long-term care facilities in Quebec in 2001 was 23.2 ± 5.5 kg/m², while the average Canadian value in 2001 was slightly higher at 23.3 ± 5.0 kg/m². Therefore, Dietary Services determined that a BMI of 24 would be the optimal standard, and therefore the target average for all residents of Ste. Anne’s Hospital. The current average (data from March 2011) is 24.5.