Session 9 - Nutrition And Health Flashcards
What are growth references?
The values of weight and height for each age against which parents, caregivers and health workers measure the growth of the children under their care
Define malnutrition
The cellular imbalance between the supply of nutrients and energy and the body’s demand for them to ensure growth, maintenance and specific functions
Name 3 types of malnutrition
Wasting
Stunting
Micronutrient deficiency
Wasting is also know as what type of malnutrition?
Acute malnutrition
Stunting is also known as what type of malnutrition?
Chronic malnutrition
What are the 2 forms of acute malnutrition?
Severe acute malnutrition
Moderate acute malnutrition
What characterises severe acute malnutrition?
- Presence of bilateral pitting pedal oedema
- Severe wasting (very low weight for height/length. Less than -3SD)
- A mid upper circumference (MUAC) of less than 11.5cm
What characterises moderate acute malnutrition?
- Moderate wasting (a low weight for height/length of SD between -2 and -3)
- A mid upper circumference (MUAC) of between 11.5 and 12.4 cm
- No oedema
What are the WHO child growth standards used for?
- Monitoring well-being
- Detecting children not growing well
- As a simple tool to assess effectiveness of interventions
What is the difference between the older growth references and the newer WHO ones?
the older references describe how the average child grows while the newer ones assess weight and height/length of children against a standard optimum value.
How do you interpret a weight-for age chart?
- If the value is below the average, the child is underweight
- If the value is above the average, the child is overweight
How do you interpret a height (or length)-for-age chart?
- If the value is below the average, the child is stunted
- If the value is above the average, the child is tall
How do you interpret a weight-for-height chart?
If the value is below the average, the child is wasted
List the 6 milestones of the Windows of Achievement.
- Sitting without support
- Standing with assistance
- Hands and knees crawling’
- Walking with assistance
- Standing alone
- Walking alone
What was faulty about older terminologies used for malnutrition?
They describe the effects of malnutrition but do not account for the variety of etiologies and dynamic interactions that are relevant to nutrition depletion in children
Based on its etiology, what are the categories of malnutrition?
- Illness related - secondary to one or more diseases/injury
- Non-illness related - caused by environmental/behavioural factors
- Both
What is illness-related malnutrition?
Malnutrition that occurs as secondary to one or more diseases/injury
What is non-illness related malnutrition?
Malnutrition that is caused by environmental or behavioural factors
What is severe acute malnutrition ambulatory?
The number of children meeting the SAM case definition who are not admitted at a health facility but managed on an ambulatory basis
Which SAM cases fall under Severe acute malnutrition ambulatory?
- without oedema
- no medical complications
- good appetite (passes the Appetite Test)
- presence of a reliable caregiver to look after the child at home
What happens to the body during stunting?
the body adapts to a long-term lack of nutrients by giving priority to the needs of vital organs and functions rather than to growth in height.
What are the optimum conditions for child growth?
- healthy breastfeeding
- provision of safe, wholesome and nutritionally appropriate foods during the period of complementary
- provision of vaccinations and good health care
How were the WHO Child Growth Standards developed?
They are a result of an intensive study initiated by WHO in 1997 to develop a new international standard for assessing the physical growth, nutritional status and motor development in childern from birth to 5 years of age
What is the most important single threat to the world’s health?
Poor nutrition
What is the reason why many malnourished children die?
- They are vulnerable to repeated bouts of diseases and infection
- Others become malnourished while suffering from infectious disease and are unable to recover
What is the most common nutritional deficiency?
Iron deficiency
Name the most prevalence micronutrient deficiencies.
- Iron
- Vitamin A
- Zinc
- Iodine
What is the nutritional status of South Africa?
South Africa is in a nutrition transition
What is a nutrition transition?
A state in which undernutrition, notably stunting and micronutrient deficiencies co-exist with a rising incidence of overweight and obesity
What are the causes of malnutrition at the most immediate level?
Inadequate diet
Infection
Name 4 underlying factors that influence the primary causes of malnutrition
- Food access and availability
- Healthcare
- Water and sanitation
- The way a child is cared for
What are the causes of malnutrition at the most basic level?
- poverty
- lack of resources
- social, economic and political
What are the clinical signs indicating or aggravating the severity of acute malnutrition?
Anorexia or poor appetite and medical complications
What can result in a lack of vitamins and minerals in a child’s diet?
A long-term lack of nutritious food or having an infection such as worms
What is the prevalence of micronutrient malnutrition globally?
Micronutrient malnutrition is present in more than 2 billion or one in three people
List 6 disease factors that negatively influence the digestion, absorption, transport and utilization of nutrients in the body.
- HIV/AIDS
- Tuberculosis
- Gastroenteritis
- Acute respiratory infections
- Measles
- Whooping cough
List 4 basic causes of malnutrition
- poverty
- unemployment
- poor use of technology
- urbanisation
Of the 13 Lancet Interventions, list the micronutrient interventions for pregnant or breastfeeding mothers.
- improving nutrient intake through multiple micronutrient supplements
- providing iodine through iodization o salt
- providing iron and folate supplementation
- providing calcium supplementation
Of the 13 Lancet Interventions, list the interventions that encourage changes in behaviour to improve nutrition.
- promoting breastfeeding for newborns at delivery
- promoting exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months through individual and group counselling
- promoting the best foods and best ways to feed children between the ages of 6 to 24 months
- encouraging hand washing or other interventions that support better hygiene
Of the 13 Lancet interventions, list the micronutrient interventions for infants and children.
- increasing intake of zinc through supplementation
- giving zinc to manage diarrhoea
- providing vitamin A through fortification or supplementation
- universal iodization of salt
Of the 13 Lancet Interventions, name the therapeutic feeing intervention.
- Treatment of severe acute malnutrition with special foods
What are the 6 steps to tackling malnutrition?
- Make malnutrition visible
- Invest in direct interventions
- Fill the health worker gap
- Protect families from poverty
- Harness agriculture to help tackle malnutrition
- Galvanise political leadership
Of the 13 Lancet Interventions, list the micronutrient interventions for pregnant or breastfeeding mothers.
- improving nutrient intake through multiple micronutrient supplements
- providing iodine through iodization o salt
- providing iron and folate supplementation
- providing calcium supplementation
