Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic affected nutrition among older persons due to disruptions in food supply and shortages of essential medicines, supplements, and food, leading to malnutrition or unhealthy diets. While unhealthy body mass index (BMI) and malnutrition may influence quality of life (QoL), evidence is limited. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the association between BMI and malnutrition towards QoL among older persons in Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: Data were obtained through an online questionnaire consisting of self-reported anthropometry, malnutrition assessment using the Malnutrition Risk Screening Tool-Hospital (MRST-H) and Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form (MNA-SF), and the Short Form-36 Health Survey (SF36) for QoL evaluation. Results: A total of 169 respondents [median age = 64.0 (62.0, 69.5) years], with a mean BMI of 25.5±4.9 kg/m2, participated in the study. Prevalence of malnutrition was 4.2% based on MNA-SF; 30.2% and 33.1% of respondents were identified as being at high risk of malnutrition according to MNASF and MRST-H, respectively. Median score for QoL was 61.1±27.0, indicating good QoL. No significant association was found between BMI and QoL. Higher MNA-SF scores, indicating better nutritional status, were associated with higher QoL. Higher MRST-H scores, indicating higher malnutrition risk, were significantly associated with lower social functioning in QoL. Conclusion: Addressing malnutrition in older persons is crucial, as it significantly impacts their QoL, especially in the social functioning domain. However, it is still unclear whether malnutrition is a cause or an effect, or perhaps a third potential factor, such as functional status, which acts as a mediator.

Introduction: COVID-19 is a disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus spreading rapidly over the globe, and the older population has had a larger impact as the fatality rate increases with age. This pandemic caused them to reduce their physical activity (PA). COVID-19 also resulted in food supply disruption and led to unhealthy dietary changes, which are usually associated with weight gain and affecting the body mass index (BMI). PA and BMI can influence the quality of life (QoL) of the older people. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the association between PA, BMI, and QoL amongst the older people in Malaysia during COVID-19. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst community-dwelling older people from all states in Malaysia. An online survey consisting of self-reported anthropometry, Global Physical Activity Questionnaire- Malay version (GPAQ-M) and Short Form-36 Health (SF-36) Survey were collected. Statistical analysis chi-square test was used to identify the association between BMI, PA, and QoL. Results: This study included data from 180 individuals with a median age of 64.0 ± 9.8 years. The results showed that participants aged 60-69 years were significantly associated with better QoL, meanwhile, those who practice low PA levels were significantly associated with poor QoL. Conclusion: The findings revealed that age and PA were associated with QoL. Thus, the healthcare profession must emphasise regular PA to accomplish a better QoL amongst older people in the future.