Deck 12: Nutritional Assessment

Question 1

To gather the anthropometric waist measurement of the patient to calculate the waist-hip ratio, the nurse will:

A)Measure below the umbilicus and above the thighs.
B)Measure at the level of the rib cage.
C)Measure at the largest circumference of the buttocks.
D)Measure at the smallest circumference below the rib cage and above the umbilicus.

Answer 1

Measure at the smallest circumference below the rib cage and above the umbilicus.

Question 2

The nurse is providing care for a 68-year-old woman who is complaining of constipation.What concern exists regarding her nutritional status?

A)Absorption of nutrients may be impaired.
B)Constipation may represent a food allergy.
C)The patient may need emergency surgery to correct the problem.
D)Gastrointestinal problems will increase her caloric demand.

Answer 2

Absorption of nutrients may be impaired.

Question 3

The nurse is reviewing the nutritional assessment of an 82-year-old patient.Which of these factors will most likely affect the nutritional status of an older adult?

A)Increase in taste and smell
B)Living alone on a fixed income
C)Change in cardiovascular status
D)Increase in gastrointestinal motility and absorption

Answer 3

Living alone on a fixed income

Question 4

The nurse is meeting a patient who has no history of nutrition-related problems for the first clinic visit.The initial nutritional screening should include which activity?

A)Calorie count of nutrients
B)Anthropometric measures
C)Complete physical examination
D)Measurement of weight and weight history

Question 5

The nurse is assessing a 29-year-old woman and records her weight as 70 kg and height as 1.6 m.The nurse calculates the body mass index (BMI) and identifies the patient as being:

A)Obese
B)Overweight
C)Suffering from malnutrition
D)Normal weight

Question 6

The nurse is obtaining the objective data for the nutritional assessment.Which of the following would the nurse measure as common anthropometric elements?

A)Height and weight
B)Leg circumference
C)Skinfold thickness of the biceps
D)Arm length

Question 7

When providing patient education on nutrition the nurse explains optimal nutritional status as:

A)Consuming food in excess of daily body requirements.
B)Consuming energy-dense foods to meet the minimum body needs.
C)Food intake to meet daily body requirements but not to support increased metabolic demands.
D)Consuming nutrients to meet daily body requirements and support increased metabolic demands.

Question 8

The nurse is discussing appropriate foods with the mother of a 3-year-old child.Which of these foods are recommended?

A)Foods that the child will eat, no matter what they are
B)Foods easy to hold such as hot dogs, nuts, and grapes
C)Any foods, as long as the rest of the family is also eating them
D)Finger foods and nutritious snacks that cannot cause choking

Question 9

The nurse is performing a nutritional assessment on a 15-year-old girl, who tells the nurse that she is "so fat." Assessment reveals that she is 1.6 m tall and weighs 50 kg.An appropriate response from the nurse would be:

A)"How much do you think you should weigh?"
B)"Don't worry about it; you're not that overweight."
C)"The best thing for you would be to go on a diet."
D)"I used to always think I was fat when I was your age."

Question 10

During a nutritional assessment, why is it important for the nurse to ask a patient what medications he or she is taking?

A)Certain medications can affect the metabolism of nutrients.
B)The nurse needs to assess the patient for allergic reactions.
C)Medications need to be documented in the record for the physician's review.
D)Medications can affect memory and ability to identify food eaten in the last 24 hours.

Question 11

A patient tells the nurse that he simply does not find any food tasty anymore.The best response by the nurse would be:

A)"That must be really frustrating."
B)"When did you first notice this change?"
C)"My food doesn't always have a lot of taste either."
D)"Sometimes that happens, but your taste will come back."

Question 12

The nurse is evaluating patients for obesity-related diseases by calculating the waist-to-hip ratios.Which one of these patients would be at increased risk?

A)A 29-year-old woman whose waist measures 33 inches (83cm) and hips measure 36 inches (91 cm)
B)A 32-year-old man whose waist measures 34 inches (86 cm) and hips measure 36 inches (91 cm)
C)A 38-year-old man whose waist measures 35 inches (89 cm) and hips measure 38 inches (96 cm)
D)A 46-year-old woman whose waist measures 30 inches (76 cm) and hips measure 38 inches (96 cm)

Question 13

The nurse is providing nutrition information to the mother of a 1-year-old child.Which of these statements represents accurate information for this age group?

A)Maintaining adequate fat and caloric intake is important for a child in this age group.
B)The recommended dietary allowances for an infant are the same as for an adolescent.
C)The baby's growth is minimal at this age; therefore, caloric requirements are decreased.
D)The baby should be placed on skim milk to decrease the risk for coronary artery disease at a later age.

Question 14

The nurse is assessing a 30-year-old immigrant from Nigeria who has been in Canada for 1 month and is unemployed.Which of these potential problems might the nurse expect to find as related to nutritional status?

A)Obesity
B)Hypotension
C)Osteomalacia (softening of the bones)
D)Coronary artery disease

Question 15

During assessment, the nurse measures the patient's waist to be 76 cm and hips circumference to be 86 cm.Calculating the waist-hip ratio, the nurse determines the patient to be:

A)Underweight.
B)At increased risk for early mortality.
C)Gynoid obese.
D)At risk for metabolic diseases.

Question 16

The nurse is working with some of the city's homeless population.When assessing the 2-day-old surgical wound of one of the patients, the nurse is most concerned about:

A)Undernutrition leading to delayed wound healing.
B)Excess weight gain from overconsumption of nutrients.
C)Adequate nutritional intake for athletic performance.
D)Lowered resistance to infection resulting from overnutrition.

Question 17

A pregnant woman is interested in breastfeeding her baby and asks several questions about it.Which information is appropriate for the nurse to share with her?

A)Breastfeeding is best when also supplemented with bottle feedings.
B)Babies who are breastfed often require supplemental vitamins.
C)Breastfeeding is recommended for infants for the first 2 years of life.
D)Breast milk provides the nutrients necessary for growth and natural immunity.

Question 18

A mother and her 13-year-old daughter express concern related to the daughter's recent weight gain and her increase in appetite.Which of these statements represents information the nurse should discuss with them?

A)Dieting and exercising are necessary at this age.
B)Snacks should be high in protein, iron, and calcium.
C)Teenagers who have a weight problem should not be allowed to snack.
D)A low-calorie diet is important to prevent the accumulation of fat.

Question 19

In teaching a patient how to determine best weight for the patient's height, the nurse includes instructions to obtain measurements of:

A)Height and weight.
B)Frame size and weight.
C)Waist and hip circumferences.
D)Mid-upper arm circumference and arm span.

Question 20

A patient is asked to indicate on a form how many times he eats a specific food.Which method is the nurse using to assess nutritional intake?

A)Food diary
B)Calorie count
C)24-hour recall
D)Food-frequency questionnaire

Question 21

The nurse is reviewing the laboratory results for a 52-year-old male patient: fasting plasma glucose (FPG) 7.2 mmol/L; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) 0.9 mmol/L; triglycerides 2 mmol/L.During assessment the patient's blood pressure (BP) is read as 145/88 mm Hg.His waist circumference is 110 cm, and the hip circumference is 98 cm.The nurse recognizes that the patient is at risk for:

A)Red man syndrome.
B)Sjogren's syndrome.
C)Short bowel syndrome.
D)Metabolic syndrome.

Question 22

The nurse is working with a number of patients with liver disease from excessive alcohol consumption.The nurse recognizes that these patients are at risk for:

A)Weight loss from alcohol consumption replacing caloric food intake.
B)Undernutrition from consuming alcohol in place of nutritious foods.
C)Obesity from a fatty liver.
D)Overnutrition with the increased calories from alcohol consumption.

Question 23

A 21-year-old woman with extensive weight gain over the past 12 months, has a BMI of 38, indicating obesity.The nurse is concerned that she is at increased risk for:

A)Polypharmacy.
B)Diabetes.
C)Optimal nutrition.
D)Low mortality.

Question 24

The nurse is performing a nutritional assessment on an 80-year-old patient.The nurse knows that physiological changes can directly affect the nutritional status of the older adult and include:

A)Slowed gastrointestinal motility.
B)Hyperstimulation of the salivary glands.
C)Increased sensitivity to spicy and aromatic foods.
D)Decreased gastrointestinal absorption causing esophageal reflux.

Question 25

A 16-year-old girl is being seen at the clinic for gastrointestinal complaints and weight loss.The nurse determines that many of her complaints may be related to erratic eating patterns, eating predominantly fast foods, and high caffeine intake.In this situation, which is most appropriate when collecting current dietary intake information?

A)Scheduling a time for direct observation of the adolescent during meals
B)Asking the patient for a 24-hour diet recall and assuming it to be reflective of a typical day for her
C)Having the patient complete a food diary for 3 days, including 2 weekdays and 1 weekend day
D)Using the food frequency questionnaire to identify the amount of intake of specific foods

Question 26

A patient has been unable to eat solid food for 2 weeks and is in the clinic today complaining of weakness, tiredness, and hair loss.The patient states that her usual weight has been around 175 pounds, but today she weighs 161 pounds.What is her recent weight change percentage? To calculate recent weight change percentage, use this formula:

Question 27

The nurse is reviewing a 42-year-old female patient's laboratory tests as part of a nutritional assessment.Which of the results indicate that the patient might have anemia?

A)FPG 7.0 mmol/L
B)Cholesterol 4.8 mmol/L
C)Hemoglobin 90 g/L
D)Triglycerides 2 mmol/L

Question 28

Which of these interventions is most appropriate when the nurse is planning nutritional interventions for a healthy, active 74-year-old woman?

A)Decreasing the amount of carbohydrates to prevent lean muscle catabolism
B)Increasing the amount of soy and tofu in her diet to promote bone growth and reverse osteoporosis
C)Decreasing the number of calories she is eating because of the decrease in energy requirements from the loss of lean body mass
D)Increasing the number of calories she is eating because of the increased energy needs of the older adult

Question 29

A 50-year-old woman with elevated total cholesterol and triglyceride levels is visiting the clinic to discuss the laboratory results.The nurse will include patient education on:

A)The risks of undernutrition.
B)Methods to reduce stress in her life.
C)Information to include a diet low in saturated fat.
D)The condition being hereditary and why nothing she can do can change the levels.

Question 30

During assessment of a 78-year-old patient taking multiple medications for various chronic conditions, the nurse is concerned that the patient is experiencing:

A)Increase in hair growth.
B)Inadequate nutrient food intake.
C)Extreme weight gain.
D)Increase in abdominal fat.

Question 31

The nurse is assessing the body weight as a percentage of ideal body weight in an adolescent patient who was admitted for suspected anorexia nervosa.The patient's usual weight has been around 125 pounds, but today she weighs 98 pounds.The nurse calculates the patient's ideal body weight and concludes that the patient is:

A)Experiencing mild malnutrition.
B)Experiencing moderate malnutrition.
C)Experiencing severe malnutrition.
D)Still within expected parameters with her current weight.

Question 32

After completing a diet assessment on a 30-year-old woman, the nurse suspects that she may be deficient in iron.The nurse can verify by using laboratory values of:

A)Hemoglobin and hematocrit.
B)Cholesterol and triglycerides.
C)Urinalysis.
D)Serum albumin.

Question 33

The nurse is assessing a patient who is obese for signs of metabolic syndrome.This condition is diagnosed when three or more certain risk factors are present.Which of these assessment findings are risk factors for metabolic syndrome? (Select all that apply.)

A)FPG level less than 5.5 mmol/L
B)FPG level greater than or equal to 6.1 mmol/L
C)BP reading of 140/90 mm Hg
D)BP reading of 110/80 mm Hg
E)Triglyceride level of 1.5 mmol/L

Question 34

The nurse in a family practice clinic is reviewing the patients scheduled for appointments.Which of these statements is true regarding routine laboratory testing in the following individuals?

A)In pregnancy, no laboratory testing is needed unless problems with the pregnancy are suspected.
B)In the older adult, laboratory values regarding cholesterol and triglyceride levels are the most important because of the risk for disease.
C)Routine laboratory testing is not necessary during adolescence.
D)Laboratory tests for infants with suspected undernutrition.

Question 35

A 70-year-old female patient has been brought to the emergency department after a fall in her home.The patient is a widow and has become socially isolated.The nurse assesses the patient for undernutrition and radiography reveals that she has osteoporosis, which is a deficiency of:

A)Iron.
B)Riboflavin.
C)Vitamin D and calcium.
D)Vitamin C.

Question 36

A 22-year-old patient presents with chronic diarrhea, weight loss, fatigue, bloating, and cramps.Her hemoglobin laboratory results indicate anemia.The nurse suspects:

A)Obesity.
B)Cardiovascular disease.
C)Celiac disease.
D)Metabolic syndrome.

Question 37

The nurse is reviewing a patient's laboratory tests.Which of the following are indicators of nutritional status? (Select all that apply.)

A)Serum alkaline phosphatase
B)Triglycerides
C)Serum albumin
D)Creatinine kinase
E)Ferritin
F)Hemoglobin

Question 38

The nurse recognizes which of these persons as being at risk for undernutrition? (Select all that apply.)

A)A 28-year-old living in his car
B)A 50-year-old female bank manager
C)A 27-year-old university graduate student
D)A 30-year-old hospital administrator
E)A 5-month-old infant
F)A 12-year-old recently relocated from Syria