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[Nutritional assessment in hospitalized children in a Paediatric service]
Silvia Velandia1, Maria Isabel Hodgson1, Catalina Le Roy1
1Departamento de Gastroenterología y Nutrición Pediátrica, División de Pediatría, Escuela de Medicina Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
Insights
Hospitalized children face malnutrition risks, with 8% at nutritional risk and 12.9% exhibiting short stature. Early detection and monitoring are crucial for intervention in pediatric nutritional status.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Clinical Research
- Public Health
Background:
- Malnutrition in hospitalized children is a significant concern, linked to increased morbidity and mortality.
- Understanding the nutritional status of pediatric hospital patients is essential for effective care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the nutritional status of children admitted to the Hospital Clínico de la Universidad Católica de Chile.
- Identify prevalence of undernutrition, overweight, and obesity in pediatric inpatients.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective, cross-sectional study of 365 children (<17 years) from November 2010 to April 2011.
- Utilized weight-for-height (WFH) and body mass index (BMI) for nutritional diagnosis, and height-for-age (HFA) for stunted growth assessment.
- Collected demographic data, admission diagnoses, hospital stay duration, and biochemical markers (albumin, hemoglobin, hematocrit).
Main Results:
- 3.3% of children were undernourished, 8% were at nutritional risk, 15% overweight, and 10.9% obese.
- Short stature (HFA ≤-2SD) was reported in 12.9% of the children.
- Biochemistry results were not significantly associated with nutritional status.
Conclusions:
- A notable percentage of hospitalized children are at risk of undernutrition.
- The prevalence of overweight children aligns with the general Chilean pediatric population.
- Emphasizes the need for early detection, timely intervention, and ongoing nutritional monitoring for pediatric patients.
Introduction:
Malnutrition in hospitalized children is associated with increased morbidity and mortality.
Objective:
To determine the nutritional status in children admitted to the Hospital Clínico de la Universidad Católica de Chile.
Patients And Method:
A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted on hospital patients less than 17 years old within the period from November 2010 to April 2011. A record was made of the demographic data, admission diagnosis, biochemistry results (albumin, haemoglobin, haematocrit), hospital stay, and anthropometry data. Nutritional diagnosis was expressed as standard deviation (SD) for weight-for-height (WFH) by WHO in children younger than 5 y, and body mass index (BMI) by CDC-NCHS in older children. Height-for-age (HFA) ≤-2SD indicated stunted growth.
Results:
A total of 365 children, including 201 boys (55.1%), were evaluated. The median age was 3.35 years (IQR: 1.2-8.2). The most frequent reason for admission was heart disease (30.4%). The median hospital stay was 2 days (IQR: 2.0-4.0). Undernutrition was observed in 3.3% of the children, 8% were nutritionally at risk, 15% were overweight, and 10.9% were obese. As regards HFA, short stature was reported in 12.9%. There was a significant relationship between lower age and heart disease, and higher age with gastrointestinal and neurological diseases. By ordinal logistic regression for each year of age, the weight/height ratio (ZP/T) increases by 6.9% (OR=1.07). The biochemistry results (albumin, haemoglobin and haematocrit levels) were not associated with nutritional status.
Conclusions:
A high percentage of children at risk of undernutrition was found. The percentage overweight was similar to the general Chilean paediatric population. Early detection will allow an opportune intervention, and nutritional monitoring at discharge.
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