Childhood Nutrition, Obesity, Undernutrition Flashcards
what is important in childhood nutrition?
- provide energy and nutrients for growth and long term health (need 2 twice energy amount compared to adults, based on body weight)
- establish healthy eating and activity habits
- develop a healthy body image
changing from breast milk to recommended adult diets:
breakmilk is approx 55% fat.
switch to normal diet around 2 years old = decrease risk of obesity and CVD later on
how to assess growth of infants and children?
- plot measurements on a percentile graph (divides measures of a population into 100 equal divisions. 1/2 of the population will be below of above the 50th percentile.)
- if crossing percentile lines = gaining more weight than height = high possibility to be obese when adult = need to intervene before obese or undernourished
- 85% percentile is the cutoff. below 85%=small chance of being obese when adult. above 85% = high risk of being obese
prevalence of obese children in canada
31%
why don’t you want too harsh of a weight loss in children?
don’t want to compromise growth with too harsh of a wt loss. Still want a healthy body image
benefits of breast feeding
less likely to become overweight
babies learn satiety signals. They know when to stop compared to parents feeding an entire bottle
“parents provide, children decide”
what are the 2 main goals of therapy in obese children
- primary goal: behavioural change
- assess readiness of child and family for change - weight maintenance (Decrease DMI). resolve/improve medical complications
- want BMI <85th percentile
- rate of weight loss: 1lbs per month. Maintain weight after achieving BMI goal
- increase activity level (encourage fun activities and limit screen time)
- decrease energy intake
treatments for high risk morbid obesity
both need behavioural commitment for long term success
- bariatric surgery
2. pharmacotherapy
what are the causes of pneumonia and diarrhea in malnourished children?
malnourished children are more vulnerable to viral and bacteria infections
describe acute and chronic protein energy undernutrition
acute:
- short term
- wasting
- low weight for height
chronic:
- long term
- stunting
- low weight and height for age
describe primary and secondary protein energy undernutrition
primary: malnutrition because of inadequate intake
- poverty
- low food supply
- poor quality of food
- caused by: armed conflicts, political turbulence, natural disasters
secondary: malnutrition because of a disease state
- decreased intake, absorption
- increased losses and requirement
describe marasmus
“successful adaptation”: fully reversible. no loss in overall function. integrated metabolic response to a change in environmental conditions
- severe deprivation or impaired absorption of protein, energy, vit/min
- develops slowly
- severe weight loss and muscle wasting
- <60%weight for age
- “skin and bones” appearance
- better than kwashiorkor because more retention of fat and less bodily stresses
- metabolic stress (ex. infection)
- appetite is still present
what is edema
plasma proteins leave leaky blood vessels and move into tissues
proteins attract water = causes swelling
indentations are left when pressure is applied
treatment of marasmus and kwashiorkor?
marasmus: slow increase in energy/nutrition/protein
kwashiorkor: more bodily stresses makes treatment more complicated
- stabilize fluids and electrolytes
- treat infections
- nutritional rehabilitation
describe kwashiorkor
- “unsuccessful adaptation”: possibly irreversible. loss of physiological function
- inadequate protein intake or infection
- muscle wasting, some fat retention
- loss of appetite
- swollen belly (edema)
