Assessment of Nutritional Status of A Child - MCH

Question 1

What is nutritional status?

Answer 1

Nutritional status is the balance between intake and expenditure of nutrients in growth, reproduction, and health maintenance.

Question 2

Name factors that influence nutritional status.

Answer 2

Maternal health status, birth weight, food intake quantity and quality, physical health.

Question 3

What is the spectrum of nutritional status?

Answer 3

From severe undernutrition to obesity.

Question 4

List the purposes of nutritional assessment.

Answer 4

Identify malnourished individuals/groups, guide interventions, evaluate program effectiveness.

Question 5

What are the two methods of nutritional assessment?

Answer 5

Direct and indirect methods.

Question 6

What does ABCD stand for in direct nutritional assessment?

Answer 6

Anthropometric, Biochemical, Clinical, Dietary.

Question 7

Define anthropometry.

Answer 7

The measurement of body height, weight, and proportions.

Question 8

What is the primary purpose of growth charts in children?

Answer 8

To monitor growth velocity and compare it to international standards.

Question 9

What are the four CDC growth chart categories for weight status?

Answer 9

Underweight (<5th percentile), Healthy (5-85th), Overweight (85-95th), Obese (≥95th).

Question 10

Differentiate between severe underweight and underweight in children.

Answer 10

Severe underweight: <3 SD; Underweight: <2 SD.

Question 11

Explain the classification of nutritional status using BMI-for-age.

Answer 11

BMI-for-age is age- and sex-specific and compared to CDC standards.

Question 12

What are the advantages of anthropometry?

Answer 12

Objective, reproducible, measures many variables, non-expensive.

Question 13

State the limitations of anthropometric methods.

Answer 13

Observer errors, limited diagnosis, arbitrary cut-off values.

Question 14

Why is haemoglobin estimation important in biochemical assessment?

Answer 14

It reveals anaemia, protein, and trace element nutrition.

Question 15

What stool examinations are used in nutritional assessment?

Answer 15

Stool examination for ova or intestinal parasites.

Question 16

Name three specific biochemical tests for nutritional status.

Answer 16

Serum retinol, urinary iodine, riboflavin deficiency detection.

Question 17

List the advantages of biochemical methods.

Answer 17

Detects early metabolic changes, precise, reproducible.

Question 18

What are the limitations of biochemical methods?

Answer 18

Time-consuming, expensive, requires trained personnel.

Question 19

Why is clinical assessment essential in nutritional surveys?

Answer 19

It is practical and simple, focusing on specific physical signs.

Question 20

What physical signs are examined in clinical assessment?

Answer 20

Hair, mouth, gums, nails, skin, eyes, bones, thyroid gland.

Question 21

What are the advantages of clinical assessment?

Answer 21

Fast, inexpensive, non-invasive.

Question 22

What are the limitations of clinical assessment?

Answer 22

Misses early cases, lacks specificity, relies on subjective signs.

Question 23

Mention two clinical signs of hair malnutrition.

Answer 23

Sparse, brittle hair or colour changes.

Question 24

Identify clinical signs of iodine deficiency.

Answer 24

Goitre in mountainous regions far from the sea.

Question 25

What are the five dietary assessment methods?

Answer 25

24-hour recall, FFQ, dietary history, food diary, observed consumption.

Question 26

Describe the 24-hour dietary recall method.

Answer 26

A recall of all food/drink taken in the last 24 hours.

Question 27

What is a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ)?

Answer 27

A list of 100 food items with frequency of intake.

Question 28

What are the merits of FFQs?

Answer 28

Inexpensive, more representative.

Question 29

State the limitations of FFQs.

Answer 29

Long, needs updating for new foods.

Question 30

What is the dietary history method?

Answer 30

Accurate details on intake, frequency, and timing.

Question 31

Explain the food diary technique.

Answer 31

Records intake at the time of consumption for 1-7 days.

Question 32

What is observed food consumption?

Answer 32

Measures meal weight and calculates content accurately.

Question 33

Differentiate between qualitative and quantitative dietary data interpretation.

Answer 33

Qualitative: food groups; Quantitative: nutrient amounts.

Question 34

What ecological variables are considered in indirect nutritional assessment?

Answer 34

Crop production, food balance sheets, conditioning influences.

Question 35

List economic factors used in indirect nutritional assessment.

Answer 35

Income, population density, social habits.

Question 36

Mention two vital health statistics relevant to nutritional assessment.

Answer 36

Infant mortality rate, under-5 mortality.

Question 37

Why is crop production data important in nutritional surveys?

Answer 37

It reflects food availability and malnutrition risks.

Question 38

How do socio-economic factors influence food consumption?

Answer 38

Income, education, and occupation determine diet patterns.

Question 39

What does morbidity data reveal in nutritional assessments?

Answer 39

Identifies risk groups and malnutrition causes.

Question 40

What is the relationship between life expectancy and nutritional status?

Answer 40

Poor nutritional status lowers life expectancy.

Question 41

Why is indirect assessment important for nutritional surveys?

Answer 41

It measures the underlying causes of malnutrition.

Question 42

What are conditioning influences in ecological variables?

Answer 42

Factors like infections that exacerbate malnutrition.

Question 43

Define per capita income in the context of nutrition.

Answer 43

Average income per person in a population.

Question 44

What is the role of food composition tables in dietary data interpretation?

Answer 44

They calculate nutrients in food to compare to RDAs.