Nutritional Assessment Using Anthropometry

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Assessment of Nutritional Status: Using Anthropometric Techniques Assessment of Nutritional Status Nutritional status Nutritional status is the balance between the intake of nutrients by an organism and the expenditure of these in the processes of growth, reproduction, and health maintenance. Nutritional Assessment Nutritional Assessment is a structured way to establish nutritional status and energy-requirements by objective measurements and whereby, completed with objective parameters and in relation to specific disease-indications, an adequate (nutritional-) treatment can be developed for the patient. Nutritional status can be measured for individuals as well as for populations. Accurate measurement of individual nutritional status is required in clinical practice. Population measures are more important in research. They can be used to describe nutritional status of the group, to identify populations or population segments at risk for nutrition-related health consequences, and to evaluate interventions. Goals of Nutritional Assessment * To identify malnourished patients or patients at risk, so the dietician can start her nutritional treatment as soon as possible * To determine the quantity of malnutrition, so an adequate definition of the individual nutritional need is possible. * Monitoring of changes in nutritional state during nutritional intervention * To identify prospectively all those patients who would develop a nutrition-related complication * To Collect data for scientific research * To develop health care programs that meet the community needs which are defined by the assessment * To measure the effectiveness of the nutritional programs & intervention once initiated Assessment of nutritional status There is not one single parameter that serves as the only and best parameter to discover malnourished patients or

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