Problems of nutritional assessment in the community

The present paper explores the problems associated with assessment of nutritional status in the community and reviews the literature related to this subject. The first problem is one of terminology, since a logical first step before assessment is screening, which identifies characteristics known to be associated with dietary or nutritional problems. Its purpose is to differentiate individuals who are at high nutritional risk or have poor nutritional status. There are certain factors which should alert the primary health care team to the fact that nutritional intake may be reduced and that risk of malnutrition is increased. These include disease condition, functional disabilities, inadequate or inappropriate food intake, poor dentition or difficulty swallowing, polypharmacy, alcoholism, depression, poor social circumstances or recent discharge from hospital. Patients suffering from these factors need to be identified so that screening becomes a routine part of their medical treatment. At-risk groups include the elderly, the chronically ill, those with cancer and neurological disorders, post-surgical patients and children with developmental disabilities. In the community, practice and community nurses see the majority of at-risk patients and should carry out screening. A number of screening tools have been developed for community use. Most are aimed at the elderly population, but there are others designed to assess nutritional risk in children with developmental disabilities and the general population. These are reviewed and problems of content and validity identified. Some problems associated with nutritional assessment are also reviewed.