Yasuyuki Okamoto, RD, Shinta Nishioka, RD, PhD, MSc (Epi), Takatsugu Okamoto, MD, PhD, Ichiro Miyai, MD, PhD
Jpn J Compr Rehabil Sci 16: 46-52, 2025
Objective: This study aimed to examine the association
between the presence of registered dietitians (RD) and
dental hygienists (DH) and the changes in the activities of
daily living and body weight in elderly patients with a
low body mass index (BMI) who were admitted to a
Kaifukuki (convalescent) rehabilitation ward (KRW)
class 1.
Methods: Patients aged 70 years or older with a BMI
of less than 20.0 kg/m2, who were admitted to hospitals
with a KRW class 1 as per the 2022 survey data from
the Japanese Association of Rehabilitation in Postacute
Care, were included in the study. The patients
were divided into two groups based on the presence of
DH: the RD+DH+ group and the RD+DH- group. The
Functional Independence Measure (FIM) gain, change
in BMI, and percentage of patients with improved
BMI (an increase of >-0.7 kg/m2) were compared using
univariate and multivariate analyses.
Results: A total of 3,329 patients (61.8% female, mean
age of 83.3 years) were analyzed. The RD+DH+ group
consisted of 431 patients, and the RD+DH- group
consisted of 2,834 patients. No significant difference in
FIM gain was found between the two groups. However,
the RD+DH+ group showed significantly greater change
in BMI and a higher percentage of patients with improved
BMI than the RD+DH- group. Furthermore, the change
in BMI and the percentage of BMI improvement were
associated with the presence of RD and DH.
Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that
the presence of RD and DH in a KRW may improve
the BMI of elderly patients.
Key words: Kaifukuki (convalescent) rehabilitation ward, Registered dietitian, Dental hygienist, Low BMI, Weight gain