Deck 9: Nutritional Assessment

Question 1

Define nutritional status.

Answer 1

The degree of balance between nutrient intake and nutrient requirement is referred to as nutritional status. As with all aspects of assessment, several factors can affect the health status of a person. For nutrition assessment, the physiologic, psychosocial, developmental, cultural, and economic aspects of the individual's life must be considered. The health practitioner needs to determine whether the patient has optimal nutrition, under nutrition, or over nutrition.

Question 2

Describe the unique nutritional needs for various developmental periods throughout the life cycle.

Answer 2

Although nutritional assessment should be included consistently in the provision of health care, recognition of nutritional needs for each stage of development will enable the health care provider to better meet those needs. Each of the following groups has special nutritional needs: infancy and childhood, adolescence, pregnancy and lactation, adulthood, and older adulthood.

Question 3

Describe the role cultural heritage and values may play in an individual's nutritional intake.

Answer 3

Although each patient must be viewed as an individual within his or her environment, knowledge of the role of food in the cultural groups within the health care service area will increase the ability of the health care provider to meet individual needs. Some areas to be considered when completing an individual nutritional assessment include the role of cultural values and heritage, in addition to occupation, socioeconomic group, religion, health awareness, patterns of eating, and dietary practices. It is important, however, to avoid cultural stereotyping.

Question 4

State the purposes of a nutritional assessment.

Question 5

Describe the components of a nutritional assessment.

Question 6

Discuss the strengths and limitations of the methods used for collecting current dietary intake.

Question 7

Use anthropometric measures and laboratory data to assess the nutritional status of patients.

Question 8

Use nutritional assessment in the provision of health care and for health promotion.