Nutritional Assessment Overview

Study Notes

### What is Nutritional Assessment?

Nutritional assessment is the very first step in the Nutrition Care Process
The process involves gathering, analyzing and interpreting information to understand if a person or group is well-nourished or malnourished
Data can come directly from individuals through interviews, observations, and measurements
Data for populations is gathered from surveys, epidemiological and research studies

The data gathered for nutritional assessment depends on the setting where it's being performed

Assessment is used in schools to identify students needing supplementary feeding
The military uses it to identify those 'fit' for service
It's now a common practice in both community and clinical settings

### Nutritional Assessment Methods

Nutritional assessments can be direct or indirect
Direct methods use body dimensions, nutrient tissue or fluid concentrations, dietary intake, and clinical signs of nutritional deprivation (ABCDS)

### Direct Nutritional Assessment (ABCDS) Methods

A= Anthropometry: Measuring body dimensions and proportions
B= Biochemical/Biophysical: Assessing nutrient levels in body fluids, tissues, and excreta
C= Clinical: Observing the signs and symptoms related to nutritional deficiencies
D= Dietary: Determining dietary intake through interviews, food records, and dietary analysis

Anthropometry literally means "the measurement of humans"
Anthropometric measurements can be used in both clinical and field settings
It is the assessment of physical dimensions and body composition
Anthropometric measurements can be used to assess:
- Post-operative patients
- Chronically sick medical patients
- Severely malnourished patients
- To assess the impact of nutritional interventions

### Purposes of Anthropometric Measurements

### Anthropometric Measurements of Growth

Growth is a key indicator of nutritional status in children
Children's growth performance often reflects underlying nutritional problems
Chronic nutritional deficits can lead to reduced growth rates or a complete cessation of growth

### Child Growth

Growing children are healthy children
Optimal growth requires adequate food, absence of illness, caring environment, and social support
The most rapid growth period is the first year of life
Weight and height are commonly used to measure growth
Weight gain is one of the most accurate and sensitive measures of growth

### Head Circumference (HC)

Head circumference is measured with a flexible measuring tape to the nearest millimeter
The tape is placed around the head, measuring the supra-orbital ridge anteriorly and the occipital prominence posteriorly
HC is useful for assessing chronic nutritional problems in children under two
After two years it is less reliable because brain growth slows down significantly

Length is measured in a supine position using a measuring board
It is used to determine physical growth in children under two
Height is used for children over two years old
Length and height are important for tracking growth and identifying growth problems