Identifying Thresholds for Malnutrition Risk Perception among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Cross-Sectional Study Using Latent Profile and Receiver Operating Characteristic Analysis

Background: Identifying malnutrition risk perception profiles and optimal cutoff points can aid healthcare professionals in early detection and targeted interventions, improving nutritional care for older adults. This study aimed to identify malnutrition risk perception profiles in older adults using latent profile analysis (LPA), explore influencing factors, and determine the optimal cut-off point for the Malnutrition Risk Perception Scale (MRPS) through receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. Design: A cross-sectional observational study. A STROBE checklist was employed. Methods: The study analyzed data from a sample of 1,018 community-dwelling older adults in China. LPA identified malnutrition risk perception profiles, while univariate and multinomial logistic regression explored influencing factors. ROC analysis determined optimal cutoff values for the MRPS. Results: Three classes were identified: low (13.9%), moderate (51.1%), and high (35.0%) malnutrition risk perception. Older adults with poor self-rated health were more likely to have low risk perception, while those with good independent living ability and non-smokers were more likely to have high risk perception. The optimal cutoff for binary classification was 100, while multiclass ROC analysis categorized risk perception as low (≤97), moderate (98–127), and high (≥128). Conclusions: The MRPS cutoff points of 100 (binary) and 97, 128 (multiclass) are recommended for identifying malnutrition risk perception levels in older adults.