Aim of nutritional assessment To identify nutritional problems of the community To find the underlying cause for malnutrition To plan and implement control of malnutrition Maintain good nutrition of community

1. Assessment of Nutritional
status
Dr Paul T Francis, MD
Prof. Com Med
7th
April University, Zawia, Libya

2. 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

3. Aim of nutritional assessment
To identify nutritional problems of the
community
To find the underlying cause for
malnutrition
To plan and implement() control of
malnutrition
Maintain good nutrition of community

4. Types of surveys
Longitudinal
Cross-sectional
In longitudinal surveys some families are
observed (, ) for one year or longer
In cross-sectional survey a sample is
examined for prevalence of malnutrition

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

6. Clinical examination
Person is examined for signs of
malnutrition e.g.. Anemia, rickets.

7. 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

8. 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

9. Growth chart ‘Road to Health chart’
Road to Health

10. 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

11. 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.

12. The study of Vital Statistics
Nutritional status influence these rates
Infant Mortality Rate
Rate of Low Birth weight
Life expectancy

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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