Which item is NOT part of the DETERMINE malnutrition screening checklist?

• A. Dietary fiber intake
• B. Disease
• C. Tooth loss - mouth pain
• D. Economic hardship

Answer: (A)

DETERMINE is a quick malnutrition risk screen for older adults that focuses on factors likely to influence nutritional status. It highlights disease, eating poorly, tooth loss or mouth pain, economic hardship, reduced social contact, multiple medications, involuntary weight loss or gain, needing assistance with self-care, and being elderly (age 80+). Dietary fiber intake is not one of these determinants, so it would not be flagged by this checklist. Fiber relates to overall diet quality, which is assessed in more detailed nutrition evaluations, but the DETERMINE tool targets these specific risk drivers to quickly identify those who may need a fuller assessment.