Assessment of Nutritional

status

Dr Paul T Francis, MD
Prof. Com Med
7th April University, Zawia, Libya
Contents
Need for nutritional assessment
Types of surveys
Elements of nutritional assessment
Clinical examination
Anthropometry
Lab and Biochemical tests
Dietary survey
Study of vital statistics
Assessment of ecological factors
Aim of nutritional assessment

To identify nutritional problems of the

community
To find the underlying cause for
malnutrition
To plan and implement(‫ )نجز‬control of
malnutrition
Maintain good nutrition of community
Types of surveys

Longitudinal
Cross-sectional

In longitudinal surveys some families are

observed (‫راعى‬, ْ‫ )الحظ‬for one year or longer
In cross-sectional survey a sample is
examined for prevalence of malnutrition
Elements of Nutritional Assessment

Clinical examination
Anthropometry
Laboratory and biochemical tests
Dietary surveys
Study of vital statistics
Assessment of ecological factors
Clinical examination

Person is examined for signs of

malnutrition e.g.. Anemia, rickets.
Anthropometry

Weight (for age)

Is the most important measure for assessing
malnutrition
Height (Length in children <2years
Head circumference in 0-4 years
Mid-upper arm circumference
Skin fold thickness
Weight (for age)
 Weight of the child can be plotted on a growth
chart to monitor the growth of the child
 The upper and lower limit of normal weight is
shown by two lines – road to health
 The weight of the child should be between the
two lines
 If the weight of the child is below the lower line it
is malnutrition and if the weight of the child is
above the upper line it is overweight
Growth chart ‘Road to Health chart’
Laboratory and Biochemical examination

Laboratory tests – Hb, stool for ova

Biochemical tests – Serum protein, serum
iron etc.
Biochemical tests are usually done on a
small sample of people
Dietary surveys

Dietary survey provide a real picture of the

food consumption of the community
It can be done in three ways:
 Weighing of raw foods for about 7 days and a
average daily consumption is calculated
 Weighing cooked food. Even though this is
better, most people do not like it.
Oral questionnaire method – quantity of food
eaten over the last 24 hours is calculated.
The study of Vital Statistics

Nutritional status influence these rates

Infant Mortality Rate
Rate of Low Birth weight
Life expectancy
Assessment of Ecological factors

Is necessary to get the complete picture of

nutritional status. They are:
Cultural factors - food habits, beliefs
Food production – food cultivation, storage,
marketing
Socio-economic factors – family size,
educational status, per-capita income
Health and nutritional services – immunization,
feeding programmes
Summary

It is important to assess the nutritional

status of the community to promote health,
prevent malnutrition and control
malnutrition.
Nutritional surveys will give us the
information
Methods of nutritional assessment are:
Clinical examination
Summary cont’d
Anthropometry
Lab and biochemical test
Dietary survey
Study of vital statistics
Assessment of ecological factors
Good nutrition leads to healthy people and
health community