Assessment of Nutritional Status

Question 1

What are the 4 pillars of nutritional assessment?

Answer 1

A - anthropometry
B - biochemical
C - clinal
D - dietary

Question 2

Define Nutritional assessment

Answer 2

The collection and interpretation of data from dietary, biochemical, anthropometric and clinical studies.

Question 3

What are the 4 nutritional assessment systems?

Answer 3

Nutritional survey
Nutritional surveillance
nutritional screening
nutritional intervention

Question 4

What are nutrition surveys?

strengths & limitations

Answer 4

a nutritional survey is used to obtain baseline nutritional data and assess the nut status of a selected population.

usually a cross-sectional survey is done

data is used to formulate policy/allocate resources

strength - identify at risk groups of malnutrition
limitation - cannot define cause of malnutrition

Question 5

What is nutritional surveillance?

strengths and limitations

Answer 5

continuous monitoring of selected population groups
data is collected over an extended period of time

strength - can identify cause of chronic/acute malnutrition
limitation - time consuming and requires technical expertise

Question 6

What is nutritional screening?

Answer 6

comparison of an individual’s data compared to predetermined risk levels e.g., BMI, weight, WTH ratio.

Question 7

What is nutritional intervention?

Answer 7

targeted approaches to improve health of ‘at risk’ individual/populations

• fortification
• supplementation
• dietary changes