Nutritional Assessment of 7-9 Age Group

University of the Philippines Los Banos

College of Human Ecology

Institute of Human Food and Nutrition

Nutritional Assessment of 7-9 year-old group1

(A case study in HNF 21)

Marquez, Erica

Mendoza, Angela Joy L.

C-4L

November 17, 2015

____________________

        1A scientific paper submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements in HNF 21 Food and Nutrition under Professor Domingo, A.Y. 2015-2016

I. Introduction

Most of the nutrition people get comes from the food provided to the body.  Food is needed in order to live, to grow, and to keep healthy.  It is also important because it provides energy in the body for work and other activities.  Different food items contain different amounts and types of nutrients.  It is therefore important to have varying intakes of food everyday so that a well-balanced diet is attained.  Different nutrients have different uses in the body; however, it is best utilized in the body when teamed with other nutrients.  The nutrients in food in terms of its appearance, safety, and taste are also affected by how it was handled.  Handling means everything that the food has undergone from growing, processing, storing, and cooking.

        People have the same need for nutrients but in varying amounts.  It varies because it is influenced by age, sex, activities, size and even state of health.  These variations are assessed and planned by trained people or more specifically by dieticians.

        Dieticians or medical practitioners used different method in evaluating one’s nutritional status. Methods include conducting 24-hour food recall, nutritional anthropometry, checking the medical history of the patient and etc. By doing this methods they were able to give suggestions on what type of foods should the patient eat and provide a good, healthy and very economical menu plan or diet.

        Nutritional assessment is a step by step process; it starts with gathering of basic information about the patient followed by determining the usual food intake through 24-hour food recall, then measuring the weight and height and evaluation. The 24-hour food recall involves a structured interview and it is a combination of qualitative and quantitative data. A trained interviewer asks child and/or adult to recall all food and drink during previous 24 hours. Prompts for quantification of portion size or use of food models are typically employed (ACAORN, 2010). Anthropometric measurement, on the other hand, is a quantitative collection of data that is used to assess growth and development in infants, children, and adolescents include length, height, weight, and weight-for-length. Individual measurements are usually compared to reference standards on a growth chart (James, 2013).

        The general objective of this study was to determine and evaluate the current nutritional status of a 7-year old patient.

        Aside from the general objectives, this study has the following specific objectives:

1. To use anthropometric measurements to assess and get the BMI and DBW
2. To use the data obtained in planning the meals of the patient
3. To conduct a 24-hour food recall to know the food habits of the patient
4. To provide a healthy diet plan/menu plan to the patient that will improve his/her nutritional status
5. To determine the factors affecting the preparation of the menu or diet plan.

The analysis of the study was conducted at the College of Human Ecology, Institute of Human Food and Nutrition, University of the Philippines Los Banos from November 2 to November 15, 2015.  The interviewing process and gathering of relevant information like 24-hour food recall and nutritional anthropometry were done at the patient’s house in Sampaga, Balayan, Batangas last November 03, 2015.  

Moreover, the study is only limited to healthy patients.  The age range also used in the study is from 7 to 9 years old.

II. Methodology

        In completing this study an interview was conducted and the following data were obtained:[pic 1][pic 2]

        The patient that was used as a reference for this study is a 7 year old female and is named Elie Jane L. Mojica.  The patient is a grade 1 student in Kiddie Learning Center, a private elementary school in the municipality of Balayan, Batangas. The patient also has a very active lifestyle. Outdoor games are often her choice of activities aside from her daily school routine which lasts from 8 o’clock in the morning and ends at 12 noon.  The patient is a large framed child having the weight of 39 kilograms and a height of 1.27 meters.  Her weight has changed in the past year with 2 to 3 kilogram increase.