Nutrition Basics Quiz

Nutritional Assessment

• Nutritional assessment involves evaluating an individual's nutritional status
• Adequate diet consists of nutrients needed for maintenance, repair, living processes, and development
• Factors to consider for nutritious meal planning include regional availability of foods, socio-economic conditions, taste preferences, food habits, age of family members, storage and preparation facilities, and cooking skills
• Recommended energy and nutrient intakes are standards for nutrients, not specific foods or diets, adequate for maintaining health and well-being for most healthy individuals
• Essential food groups include milk (calcium source, riboflavin, high-quality protein, vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, and fats), meat (high-quality protein, iron, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, phosphorus, and zinc - liver, kidney, and saltwater fish recommended), bread and cereal (thiamine, protein, iron, niacin, carbohydrates, and cellulose), and vegetable-fruit (fiber, minerals, vitamins A and C)
• Nutritional status, or nutriture, is the degree to which an individual's nutritional needs are met through their food intake and the balance between intake and expenditure

Aspects of Nutritional Assessment

• Dietary history and intake data
• Biochemical data
• Clinical examination
• Anthropometric data
• Psychosocial data

Methods of Assessing Dietary Intake

• 24-hour recall: The individual recalls everything eaten in the last 24 hours or previous day.
• Food frequency questionnaire: Pattern of questions about food frequency modified based on 24-hour recall.
• Dietary history: More comprehensive than other methods, including details like socio-economic conditions, physical activity, ethnicity/cultural background, home life and meal patterns, appetite, allergies, food intolerances, dental/oral health, gastrointestinal concerns, chronic diseases, and medication
• Food diary or record: The individual documents everything that's eaten or drunk for a specified period.
• Observation of food intake: Most accurate method, but also most time-consuming, expensive, and difficult. Requires knowing the food presented and the amount eaten.

Evaluation of Food Intake Data

• Evaluation by food group method is the simplest, fastest, yet crudest way to evaluate data by determining servings from each of the four food groups consumed during a recorded day

General Rules for Menu Planning

• Use the entire day as a unit for meal planning, not individual meals.
• Plan meals that include food from all four food groups (energy, body-building, and body-regulating).
• Include some raw foods (fruits and vegetables).
• Include at least one high-satiety-value food and some roughage in each meal.
• Combine or alternate bland foods with foods of strong flavor.
• Alternate soft and crisp foods.
• Vary colors, foods, and arrangement of foods in meals.
• When serving many foods, decrease portion sizes and have few rich foods.
• Avoid using the same food twice in a day (except staples like rice, bread, and milk)
• Avoid using same food in the same meal in different forms.
• Avoid using the same food repeatedly in a period of time.

Meal Patterns

• Traditional breakfast pattern examples: fruit, egg, bread/rice, hot beverage
• Example of good menu guide for lunch and dinner: meat/fish/poultry, vegetables, rice, fruit or dessert

Nutrition Survey

• An epidemiological investigation of population nutritional status, using various methods
• Includes an evaluation of ecological community factors

Significance of Nutritional Assessment

• Crucial for nutritional planning
• Provides data for planning and evaluation
• Guides public health priorities and responsibilities at national/regional/provincial/city/municipal/barangay levels

Methods of Nutrition Assessment

• Direct information: clinical examination, biochemical examination, anthropometric measurements, biophysical technique
• Indirect information: studies on food consumption, health conditions, and vital statistics, food supply situation, socio-economic conditions, and cultural/anthropological influences

Factors Considered in Selecting a Nutrition Survey Method

• Unit to be surveyed
• Type of information required
• Degree of reliability/accuracy
• Facilities and equipment available
• Human resources (personnel expertise)
• Time reference
• Financial support

Features of Methods & Reference Standards Used

• Clinical Assessment: Provides a rapid overview of nutritional status using physical observations, but can be non-specific and overlook underlying issues
  • Advantages: covers many factors in a short time, inexpensive, useful for quick screening
  • Disadvantages: non-specific signs, overlapping deficiencies, observer bias
• Biochemical Assessment: Provides objective measurements, but is often costly and time-consuming
  • Advantages: independent of emotional/subjective factors, detects early subclinical problems
  • Disadvantages: expensive equipment, time consuming (collection and analysis), standards of collection and storage of samples affect results

Common Nutritional Problems

• Protein-energy malnutrition (PEM)
  • Marasmus: severe malnutrition caused by insufficient calories/fats/carbohydrates and protein
    • Symptoms: thin/brittle, loss of muscle mass
  • Kwashiorkor: severe malnutrition from insufficient protein
    • Symptoms: thin/brittle, bulging abdomen (ascites), loss of muscle mass
  • Marasmic Kwashiorkor: combines aspects of both marasmus and kwashiorkor
• Xerophthalmia: progressive eye problem caused by vitamin A deficiency
• Anemia: blood condition caused by insufficient protein and iron
• Goiter: thyroid gland enlargement
• Vitamin B2/Riboflavin deficiency: leads to mouth and lip and skin irritations

Clinical Symptoms of Common Nutritional Problems

• Detailed description of the symptoms of Protein-Energy Malnutrition, Xerophthalmia, Anemia, Goiter, and Vitamin B2/Riboflavin Deficiency

Prevalence Criteria for Determining Public Health Significance of Xerophthalmia and Vitamin A Deficiency

• Thresholds for different indicators (night blindness, Bitot spots, corneal abnormalities, corneal scars)

Anthropometric Measurements

• Measurement of physical body dimensions and composition
• Methods used: weight for age, height for age, weight for height/length, skinfold thickness, birth weight

Reference/Standards Used

• Overview of the weight for age, weight for height, height for age, and their combinations and how they are used
• Definitions of normal, underweight (mild, moderate, severe), and overweight

Chapter 10: Infancy

• Nutritional base for rapid growth/development during the first year of life
• Characteristics of a person considered to be an infant: age, weight, length, head circumference, skin properties
• Nutritional requirements: calories, protein, fats, carbohydrates, minerals, vitamins, water
  • Detailed descriptions of requirements and suggested allowances

Infant Feeding

• Types: breastfeeding, bottle feeding, mixed feeding
• Breastfeeding: benefits for mother and infant
• Bottle feeding: appropriate under specific situations
• Mixed feeding: complementary feeding, benefits and caveats

Formula Preparation

• Aseptic and terminal methods of preparation; preparation guidelines and considerations

Feeding Time

• Feeding frequency for infants: depends on weight
• Typical feeding schedule for infants of different ages

Simple Tips for Feeding Infants

• Important tips and guidelines to improve infant feeding practices
• Concerns on feeding practices

Supplementary Foods and Important Considerations for Introduction

• Guidelines and recommendations for introducing supplementary foods
• Methods for preparing suitable baby foods
• Important indicators for a child’s good nutritional health: weight, length, and behavioral development