The Self-Global Assessment (SGA) is a clinical nutrition assessment method widely used to assess the nutritional status of adults for clinical and research purposes. This tool facilitates the identification of clinically significant malnutrition and enables the monitoring of nutritional changes. Its practicality and comprehensive approach make it valuable for nutritional screening of a diverse patient population. This study aimed to validate the SGA criteria in identifying malnutrition and examine its association with illness, social factors, and length of hospital stay. The research focused on exploring how nutritional status relates to these variables and their impact on patient outcomes. This study was conducted from October 2023 to March 2024 in Makkah and included a random sample of 75 hospitalized patients. The cohort consisted of 40 men (53.3%) and 35 women (46.6%), with a mean age of 57.9 ± 12.9 years, and an age range of 18–75 years. Data collection included structured interviews using standardized SGA questionnaires, complemented by comprehensive physical and clinical examinations to determine the patients' nutritional status. Results revealed that morbidity was significantly affected by subcutaneous fat loss, muscle wasting, weight loss, and poor food intake (P < 0.05). Nutritional status, as assessed by SGA, showed significant associations with these clinical factors and related socioeconomic variables. Among the participants, 55 patients (73.3%) were classified as well-nourished, while 18 (24%) and 2 (2.7%) were classified as moderately and severely malnourished, respectively. Of note, the length of hospital stay was significantly longer in malnourished patients than in their well-nourished counterparts (P < 0.05). Malnutrition was found to be prevalent among hospitalized patients, with clear associations with sociodemographic variables, increased morbidity, and length of hospital stay. Early detection and timely nutritional interventions are critical to mitigate these negative effects. The Scale of Malnutrition (SGA) has proven to be a reliable, sensitive, and specific tool for early detection and assessment of malnutrition in various patient populations, confirming its suitability for routine use in clinical settings.

Key word: SGA, Subcutaneous fat, Screening protocol, severely malnourished, well-nourished