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The nutritional status of hospitalized children: Has this subject been overlooked?
Nermin Kapçı1, Mustafa Akçam, Tuğba Koca
1Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Department of Pediatrics, Süleyman Demirel University Faculty of Medicine, Isparta, Turkey. tgkoca@gmail.com.
Insights
Hospitalized children show high rates of malnutrition, with over half affected. Early nutritional assessment and intervention are crucial for improving outcomes in pediatric patients.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Clinical Malnutrition Assessment
Background:
- Hospitalized children face significant nutritional challenges.
- Assessing nutritional status upon admission is critical for patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- Determine nutritional status in hospitalized children.
- Investigate links between diagnoses and nutritional status.
Main Methods:
- Anthropometric measurements (weight, height, skinfold thickness, arm circumference).
- Calculated indices: weight-for-age, weight-for-height, BMI.
- Utilized Waterlow and Gomez classifications for nutritional assessment.
Main Results:
- 52.7% of 511 children exhibited malnutrition (Waterlow classification).
- Malnutrition rates varied by age (highest in 0-2 years) and diagnosis (malignant, GI, infectious diseases).
- Gomez classification indicated a 46.8% malnutrition rate.
Conclusions:
- High prevalence of malnutrition in hospitalized children necessitates proactive nutritional evaluation.
- Early nutritional support is vital for positive patient outcomes.
Background/Aims:
To determine the nutritional status of hospitalized children at the time of admission and to investigate the relationship between diagnosis and nutritional status.
Materials And Methods:
Body weight, height, triceps skinfold thickness, and mid-arm circumference were measured on admission and percentages of weight-for-age, weight-for-height, body mass index, mid-arm circumference, and triceps skinfold thickness were calculated. The nutritional status was evaluated using the Waterlow, Gomez, and other anthropometric assessments.
Results:
A total of 511 patients were included in the study with a mean age of 5.8±4.9 years. Malnutrition was determined in 52.7% of patients according to the Waterlow classification. Mild malnutrition was determined in 39%, moderate in 12%, and severe in 1.7%, with the characteristics of acute malnutrition in 23.9%, acute-chronic in 7.3%, and chronic in 21.5%. The highest rate of malnutrition was in the 0-2 years age group (62.3%). According to the Gomez classification, malnutrition rate was determined as 46.8%. The rates of malnutrition in malignant, gastrointestinal, and infectious diseases were 60%, 59.8%, and 54.5%, respectively.
Conclusion:
The prevalence of malnutrition in hospitalized children was noticeably high. The nutritional evaluation of all patients and an early start to nutritional support could provide a significant positive contribution.
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