Nutritional Assessment
1. identify specific nutrition problems;
Nutritional Screening:
• This is defined as the process of identifying
characteristics known to be associated with
nutritional problems.
• It may consist of a questionnaire or interview,
which identifies eating habits, food allergies and
intolerance, dietary restrictions, special diets, recent
weight loss, history of illnesses, and hospitalization.
Nutriture or Nutritional Status:
• This is the condition of the body that results from
the utilization of essential nutrients made available
from a person’s daily diet.
• This depends on the relative nutrient needs of the
body and the ability to digest and utilize them.
• This is measured by anthropometric, biochemical,
clinical and dietary methods.
Assessment of Nutritional Status - the assessment
of nutritional status of a community or population, is
the appraisal of the magnitude and geographical
distribution of its nutrition problems, as affected
directly or indirectly by available information on
determinant ecological factors.
Nutrition Surveillance: Is carried out by regular or
periodic evaluation of measurements that can be
used to indicate present as well as future changes in
nutritional status. This involves monitoring activities
and events that are expected to have a direct or
indirect bearing on nutritional status.
Objectives of Nutritional Assessment
• The main objective is to collect basic data on
nutritional status of the population to be used as a
guide in planning, formulation and modifications of
action programs intended to improve the nutrition
and health of the community or population.
Specific Objectives are to:
2. determine the extent and geographic distribution
of malnutrition problems;
3. determine the ecological factors that directly and
indirectly affect malnutrition; and
4. to make local government, civic organizations, and
other fund-controlling administrators to realize the
extent of the problems.
FOUR GENERAL METHODS of NUTRITIONAL
ASSESSMENTS:
I. ANTHROPOMETRIC MEASUREMENTS are
inexpensive and easily obtained. They are useful to
supplement other indicators of nutritional
assessment.
The determination of height and weight are the most
commonly performed anthropometric
measurements. Actual measurements should be
used whenever possible, which are then compared
with standards, such as:
- Desirable Body Weight (DBW)
- Ideal Body Weight (IBW)
Percentage of IBW = Current Weight x 100
Ideal Weight
 A weight of 20% or more above
ideal weight due to accumulation of
body fat is an indication of OBESITY.
 Twenty percent or less below ideal
body weight is an indication of
possible NUTRITIONAL RISK.
Percentage of Weight Loss = Usual Weight-Present Weight x 100
Usual Weight
 Unplanned and/or recent weight loss of
10% in a period of 30 days is a risk factor for
malnutrition, while weight loss exceeding
20% is a risk factor for a surgical patients.
BODY MASS INDEX (BMI) - is a mathematical ratio of
height to weight that can be linked with body
composition (or body fat percentage) and with
indices of health risk. It is used to estimate healthy
weight of average people.
- A BMI of 20 to 24 is desirable for most adults.
- A person with a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered
OVERWEIGHT.
- A person with a BMI of 30 or above is considered
OBESE.
OBESE – BMI 30 & ABOVE
OVERWEIGHT – BMI 25-30
NORMAL – BMI 18.5-25
UINDERWEIGHT – BMW < 18.5
2. BIOCHEMICAL ASSESSMENT - many of the routine
blood and urine laboratory tests found in patients’
charts are useful in providing an objective
assessment of nutritional status.
Disadvantages of Clinical Assessment
• deficiencies may not be clearly manifested and
specified; thus needing further testing
• overlapping of deficiency states; the signs and
symptoms may not be
directly attributable to a specific nutritional
deficiency disease but
may be produced by other diseases.
• the interpretation of the exam is subjective
4. DIETARY ASSESSMENTS - there are several
methods of collecting information regarding actual
and habitual dietary intake. Most commonly used
data collected are:
- food recalls and food frequency questionnaire
(retrospective) and
- food records (prospective)

Advantages of biochemical assessments:

1. they can detect early sub-clinical status of nutrient
deficiency
2. they identify specific nutrient deficiency
3. they are independent of the emotional and
subjective factors that usually affect the investigator
or reliability of the patient’s recollection.

3. CLINICAL ASSESSMENT- is the physical

examination of an individual for signs and symptoms
suggestive of nutritional health and/or clinical
pathology. Signs usually come late in the
pathogenesis of a disease, unlike biochemical tests
that can detect early malnutrition states.

Clinical examinations are conducted by a physician

or trained clinical staff on antomic changes that can
be seen or felt in the skin, eyes, hair, buccal or organ
systems. The use of stethoscope, blood pressure and
pulse rate measurements, height and weight are
standard procedures in physical exam charting.

Advantages of Clinical Assessment:

• they can be performed in a large number of
individuals in a short period of time.
• they are less expensive; do not require special
equipment
• other clinical staff may perform physical assess,
given the proper training