Undernutrition

Understanding undernutrition

1 Nutrient-rich foods must be available to the family. Sufficient nutrient-rich foods must be available where the family can buy them, and must be affordable. 2 Children must consume enough nutrient-rich foods. Children must be given enough nutrient-rich food to eat. Food must be prepared in such a way that the nutrients are preserved and easily absorbed. For most foods, this means not overcook...

Child Undernutrition in India

Undernutrition in older adults.

Undernutrition in older persons usually presents as weight loss and is predominantly due to protein energy wasting. The presentation of undernutrition is often subtle in older persons and there is a need to utilize screening tools and increasing physician awareness. There are multiple treatable causes of undernutrition in older persons. The major causes are anorexia, cachexia, sarcopenia, dehyd...

Undernutrition and mental development.

Childhood malnutrition is currently diagnosed by comparing children’s anthropometric measurements to the median of international references (NCHS [1]) for their age and sex, and expressing the results in standard deviation scores (SDs) [2]. Moderate underweight is weight < 2 SDs, moderate stunting is height < 2 SDs, moderate wasting is weight-for-height < 2 SDs and severe is < 3 SDs. All these ...

Undernutrition in hospital patients.

Undernutrition is a serious condition affecting significant numbers of patients in hospital. It increases the risk of mortality, delays recovery and increases the cost of hospitalisation. The prevention of undernutrition in hospital patients should be a priority for all healthcare professionals and requires a collaborative multidisciplinary approach.