Assessment of Nutrition in Children
Walden University Assessment of Nutrition in Children-Step-By-Step Guide
This guide will demonstrate how to complete the Walden University Assessment of Nutrition in Children assignment based on general principles of academic writing. Here, we will show you the A, B, Cs of completing an academic paper, irrespective of the instructions. After guiding you through what to do, the guide will leave one or two sample essays at the end to highlight the various sections discussed below.
How to Research and Prepare for Assessment of Nutrition in Children
Whether one passes or fails an academic assignment such as the Walden University Assessment of Nutrition in Children depends on the preparation done beforehand. The first thing to do once you receive an assignment is to quickly skim through the requirements. Once that is done, start going through the instructions one by one to clearly understand what the instructor wants. The most important thing here is to understand the required format—whether it is APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.
After understanding the requirements of the paper, the next phase is to gather relevant materials. The first place to start the research process is the weekly resources. Go through the resources provided in the instructions to determine which ones fit the assignment. After reviewing the provided resources, use the university library to search for additional resources. After gathering sufficient and necessary resources, you are now ready to start drafting your paper.
How to Write the Introduction for Assessment of Nutrition in Children
The introduction for the Walden University Assessment of Nutrition in Children is where you tell the instructor what your paper will encompass. In three to four statements, highlight the important points that will form the basis of your paper. Here, you can include statistics to show the importance of the topic you will be discussing. At the end of the introduction, write a clear purpose statement outlining what exactly will be contained in the paper. This statement will start with “The purpose of this paper…” and then proceed to outline the various sections of the instructions.
How to Write the Body for Assessment of Nutrition in Children
After the introduction, move into the main part of the Assessment of Nutrition in Children assignment, which is the body. Given that the paper you will be writing is not experimental, the way you organize the headings and subheadings of your paper is critically important. In some cases, you might have to use more subheadings to properly organize the assignment. The organization will depend on the rubric provided. Carefully examine the rubric, as it will contain all the detailed requirements of the assignment. Sometimes, the rubric will have information that the normal instructions lack.
Another important factor to consider at this point is how to do citations. In-text citations are fundamental as they support the arguments and points you make in the paper. At this point, the resources gathered at the beginning will come in handy. Integrating the ideas of the authors with your own will ensure that you produce a comprehensive paper. Also, follow the given citation format. In most cases, APA 7 is the preferred format for nursing assignments.
How to Write the Conclusion for Assessment of Nutrition in Children
After completing the main sections, write the conclusion of your paper. The conclusion is a summary of the main points you made in your paper. However, you need to rewrite the points and not simply copy and paste them. By restating the points from each subheading, you will provide a nuanced overview of the assignment to the reader.
How to Format the References List for Assessment of Nutrition in Children
The very last part of your paper involves listing the sources used in your paper. These sources should be listed in alphabetical order and double-spaced. Additionally, use a hanging indent for each source that appears in this list. Lastly, only the sources cited within the body of the paper should appear here.
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The well-being of children depends entirely on the environment as well as their nutritional health. Undoubtedly, the developmental milestone relies largely on the accessibility to safe and healthy nutrition (Ball et al., 2019). Children from impoverished backgrounds have disproportionate disparities in the quality of their health. Most often, these children experience undernutrition due to a lack of access to adequate food (Duncanson et al., 2021). Undernutrition in children is a health issue of concern as it predisposes those affected to other comorbidities.
In this study, a case of a 7-year-old severely underweight Hispanic child has been selected. A breakdown of the health issue and risk will be explored. Information for further assessment of the case will be gathered and sets of questions asked to provide more insight into the case studied. Finally, health promotion strategies will be suggested to the parents of the child to help improve his health for future well-being.
Health Issues and Risks for the Assigned Child
The case represents a health issue of underweight which is likely to emanate from undernutrition. Even though the child remains an incredible case for this study, the mother whom she spent the longest time with is also predisposed to the issue of underweight (Kofinti et al., 2021). The premise may lead to an abstract conclusion that the nutrition status of the child was attributed to poor feeding habits from the mother. While this assertion remains unclear, one may hypothesize the underweight condition of the child arises from low appetite, underlying medical condition, and increased need for energy required to achieve optimal growth and development (Claudia et al., 2019). Family factor may also result in underweight especially when the child is left to feed alone, lack of adequate meals, and poor food selection that fails to provide sufficient nutrients for growth.
Additional Information needed for further Assessment of the Child
Supplementary data are required to further assess and develop a diagnosis for the case study. The information needed includes the activity pattern of the child and their parents to ascertain the extent of risk. The social and economic status of the parents will also provide insights about how the child can access healthy and sufficient nutritious food to address the health issue (Ball et al., 2019). However, a health professional will acquire additional information about the family history, food-seeking behavior, and information about the perception of birth parents on underweight (Kubota et al., 2021). Besides, screening of the child and parents should be undertaken to gather information on the predisposition of the family to health conditions that may result in underweight.
The genetic background of this family could be a trigger to underweight to the child. The mother could be predisposed to a health condition that might be transmitted to the child and this could have contributed to underweight (Keats et al., 2021). However, it suffices to say that the sexual development of the child might have contributed to poor weight gain considering that undernutrition in children may arise due to nutrient deprivation.
Further Information needed to gain a full understanding of the Child’s Health
Health providers need to ascertain the health of the child by gathering sufficient data on the diet of the patient. Further information about food consumption includes 24-hour food recall, feeding patterns, mealtime locations, and cultural aspects of food selection (Kofinti et al., 2021). However, data on social behavior during food consumption would be needed to ascertain social exclusion, parenting techniques, and bullying during meal times that can affect overall meal consumption (Kubota et al., 2021). Nonetheless, data on underlying health issues for the case study are required to address the case of underweight amicably.
Three Specific Questions to be asked
- What can you describe your feeding habits to be on a daily basis?
- How do you consider the weight of your daughter compared to other children of the same age?
- Has your child been diagnosed with any underlying health issue in the last six months?
Strategies Employed to encourage parents/caregivers to promote Child’s Health
Health improvement initiatives for the case study focus on improving nutrient intake to encourage weight gain for the child. In this regard, parents will be given nutrition education and counseling on selected foods that can provide sufficient energy for the case study (Keats et al., 2021). Particularly, the mother will be advised to adhere to a regular meal pattern that can encourage weight gain and this has a ripple effect in addressing the case for the child considering that they suffer nearly the same weight issue (Claudia et al., 2019). However, the parents will be encouraged to visit a health facility so that the well-being of the child is assessed to establish any underlying health issue that could predispose the case study to be underweight. Nonetheless, the parents will be encouraged to provide foods that are appealing to the child to encourage consumption only if the poor weight arose due to lack of appetite. Use of dietary supplements would be encouraged mostly when the case of underweight remains pervasive.
Conclusion
The case presented a scenario of underweight in children largely attributed to genetic factors and poor nutrient intake. While the case affected the child, the mother’s nutrition status remained precarious and therefore there is a dual burden of intervention to the family. However, resolving the underweight in the mother will have a double effect in addressing the issue for the child since they reside together. It is also prudent to assess the health factors of the mother and the child to establish the main contributing factor to underweight.
References
Ball, J. W., Dains, J. E., Flynn, J. A., Solomon, B. S., & Stewart, R. W. (2019). Seidel’s guide to physical examination: An interprofessional approach (9th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Mosby
Claudia, G. C., Lucia, M. S., Miguel, K. K., Patricia, C., & Edgar, D. G. (2019). Association between sociodemographic factors and dietary patterns in children under 24 months of age: a systematic review. Nutrients, 11(9), 2006. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu11092006
Duncanson, K., Shrewsbury, V., Burrows, T., Chai, L. K., Ashton, L., Taylor, R., … & Collins, C. E. (2021). Impact of weight management nutrition interventions on dietary outcomes in children and adolescents with overweight or obesity: a systematic review with meta‐analysis. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, 34(1), 147-177. https://doi.org/10.1111/jhn.12831
Keats, E. C., Das, J. K., Salam, R. A., Lassi, Z. S., Imdad, A., Black, R. E., & Bhutta, Z. A. (2021). Effective interventions to address maternal and child malnutrition: an update of the evidence. The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health, 5(5), 367-384. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2352-4642(20)30274-1
Kofinti, R. E., Koomson, I., Paintsil, J. A., & Ameyaw, E. K. (2022). Reducing children’s malnutrition by increasing mothers’ health insurance coverage: A focus on stunting and underweight across 32 sub-Saharan African countries. Economic Modelling, 117, 106049. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.econmod.2022.106049
Kubota, Y., Pech, N. S., Durward, C., & Ogawa, H. (2021). Underweight and early childhood caries among young children in rural Cambodia: a pilot study. BDJ open, 7(1), 1-6. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41405-021-00089-y
A seven-year-old Hispanic female who is in second grade is brought in severely underweight. On physical examination, she has a weak pulse, bilateral pedal edema, and is apathetic. However, she has an overweight mother who she lives with during the week and an average-weight father who she lives with during weekends. The purpose of this paper is to address the child’s health issues and risks and create strategies to make the parents more proactive with their child’s health.
Health Issues and Risks That Are Relevant to the Child
Undernutrition directly causes micronutrient deficiencies such as iron, vitamins A and D, folate, thiamine, and zinc. As a result, the child has an increased risk of developing nutritional anemia, night blindness, rickets, poor growth, and poor muscle activity, deteriorating their quality of life (Dipasquale et al., 2020). Additionally, fat and muscle mass depletion is due to reductive adaptation, where the child’s energy source is drawn from muscle, adipose, and bone. This results in reduced muscle function, fractures,and alteration in electrolyte balance.
Malnutrition may also affect the child’s cardiac function. Reductive adaptation causes cardiac muscle loss, resulting in decreased cardiac output and low blood pressure (De Sanctis et al., 2021). In addition, there is micronutrient deficiency and alterations in electrolyte balance which alter cardiac function. Decreased cardiac output leads to poor tissue perfusion, causing delayed wound healing. Reduced cardiac output and electrolyte imbalance may further worsen renal function by reducing renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate.
Malnutrition affects gastrointestinal function, resulting in changes in pancreatic exocrine function, intestinal blood flow, villous architecture, and intestinal permeability, reducing the gut’s ability to absorb nutrients. In addition, the colon loses its ability to reabsorb water and electrolytes, resulting in diarrhea and worsened nutritional losses. The liver is also affected, and all its metabolic, synthesis, detoxification, and excretory function are affected resulting in hypoglycemia and accumulation of toxic metabolites (Schuetz et al., 2021). Immune function is also affected, increasing the risk of infection due to innate and adaptive immunity predisposing the child to respiratory, gastrointestinal, and urinary tract infections (Fontane et al., 2023). However, due to a failed immune system, most signs of infection, such as fever, may be absent.
Additional Information I Would Need to Further Assess Her Weight-Related Health
Undernutrition causes multisystem organ dysfunction. It is thus crucial to inquire whether the parents have noticed whether the child has had persistent vomiting or diarrhea. In addition, it is crucial to note any temperature changes, signs of shock, open skin lesions, edema, dehydration, tachypnea, and cyanosis (Brits et al., 2020). I may also need to look at her growth curve to check for any previous abnormalities and compare her growth versus the standard. I would also need a mid-upper arm circumference, Z-scores, and basal metabolic index. Laboratory tests are also essential for assessing malnutrition(Kabashneh et al., 2020). Necessary tests include complete blood count, hemogram, septic screen, liver and renal function tests, urinalysis, protein tests, urea-electrolytes and creatinine test, and tests for inflammatory markers. While performing a physical exam, I would need to look for any hair, nail, eye, skin, and mouth changes, such as fissures, cheilitis, and stomatitis (De Sanctis et al., 2021). I would also need to check for distended abdomen and hepatomegaly, observe for behavioral changes, and assess for development.
Risks and Further Information I Would Need to Gain a Full Understanding of the Child’s Health
Undernutrition occurs when one does not have an adequate diet or has malabsorption conditions. In assessment of the child’s weight-related health condition, it is essential to take note of the quality and quantity of the food she takes through a food diary history (Vassilakau, 2021). Inadequate diet and non-nutritious foods like processed juices predispose to micro and macronutrient deficiencies. Additionally, it is crucial to inquire whether she has any food allergies, fads, restrictions, and preferences, as they may predispose her to undernutrition.
It is crucial to ask whether the child has any underlying medical condition that may affect the ability to swallow, digest, or absorb foods. It is crucial to assess whether they have nausea and anorexia or are taking medications that may be causing both. Additionally, it is vital to rule out any cause of dysphagia, which can limit oral intake of food (Schuetz et al., 2021). Medical conditions such as chronic diarrhea or childhood malignancies have been linked to undernutrition due to increased metabolic needs. One may also need to inquire about malabsorption disorders such as celiac disease and inflammatory bowel disease that may cause excessive nutritional loss.
Undernutrition can also be caused due to mental health conditions and feeding environments. It is thus crucial to screen for eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia that may have an impact on the child, considering that the mother is overweight. Additionally, one may need to consider behaviors that discourage eating, such as bullying at school and childhood depression and anxiety disorders. Additionally, one may need to inquire about parental involvement in meals to inquire whether there is a source of discouragement to feeding (Engidaye et al., 2022). Lastly, it is vital to inquire about the ability of the parents to access nutritional foods and their feeding habits.
Specific Questions to Ask About the Child to Gather More Information
- What type of food do you occasionally give your child, and does she have any preferences?
- How do both of you contribute and participate in your daughter’s feeding patterns?
- Are there foods you prefer not to give your daughter, and why?
- Has your child ever been diagnosed with health conditions that may have affected her nutrition?
- Have you noticed any behavior change that may have affected your daughter’s well-being or her relationship with food?
Strategies to Encourage the Parents to Be Proactive about Their Child’s Health and Weight
The strategies I would employ to encourage the parents to be proactive about the child’s health include educating them on child nutrition. I would provide them with resources and inform them of signs of child malnutrition to empower them with knowledge to make right decisions (Vassilakou, 2021). Secondly, I would encourage the parents to involve their daughter in discussions regarding nutrition and have a feedback session with her. I would also organize regular follow-ups to monitor for improvement and highlight positive changes.
Conclusion
Undernutrition is a common malnutrition condition that affects children. It is crucial to note the effects it has on different organ systems. Causes of undernutrition are organic, inorganic, or both. It is thus crucial to identify the cause before initiating management. Active management of malnutrition in children requires parental and child’s active participation to achieve necessary nutritional goals.
References
Brits, H., Botha, L., Maakomane, W., Malefane, T., Luthfiya, T., Tsoeueamakwa, T., &Joubert, G. (2020). The profile and clinical picture of children with undernutrition admitted to National District Hospital. The Pan African medical journal, 37, 237. https://doi.org/10.11604/pamj.2020.37.237.25261
De Sanctis, V., Soliman, A., Alaaraj, N., Ahmed, S., Alyafei, F., &Hamed, N. (2021). Early and Long-term Consequences of Nutritional Stunting: From Childhood to Adulthood. Acta bio-medica :AteneiParmensis, 92(1), e2021168. https://doi.org/10.23750/abm.v92i1.11346
Dipasquale, V., Cucinotta, U., & Romano, C. (2020). Acute Malnutrition in Children: Pathophysiology, Clinical Effects and Treatment. Nutrients, 12(8), 2413. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12082413
Engidaye, G., Aynalem, M., Adane, T., Gelaw, Y., Yalew, A., &Enawgaw, B. (2022). Undernutrition and its associated factors among children aged 6 to 59 months in Menz Gera Midir district, Northeast Ethiopia: A community-based cross-sectional study. PloS one, 17(12), e0278756. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0278756
Fontaine, F., Turjeman, S., Callens, K., &Koren, O. (2023). The intersection of undernutrition, microbiome, and child development in the first years of life. Nature communications, 14(1), 3554. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-39285-9
Kabashneh, S., Alkassis, S., Shanah, L., & Ali, H. (2020). A Complete Guide to Identify and Manage Malnutrition in Hospitalized Patients. Cureus, 12(6), e8486. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.8486
Schuetz, P., Seres, D., Lobo, D. N., Gomes, F., Kaegi-Braun, N., &Stanga, Z. (2021). Management of disease-related malnutrition for patients being treated in hospital. Lancet (London, England), 398(10314), 1927–1938. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01451-3
Vassilakou, T. (2021). Childhood Malnutrition: Time for Action. Children (Basel, Switzerland), 8(2), 103. https://doi.org/10.3390/children8020103
| Excellent | Good | Fair | Poor | ||
| Main Posting | 45 (45%) – 50 (50%)
Answers all parts of the discussion question(s) expectations with reflective critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources.
Supported by at least three current, credible sources.
Written clearly and concisely with no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style. |
40 (40%) – 44 (44%)
Responds to the discussion question(s) and is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module.
At least 75% of post has exceptional depth and breadth.
Supported by at least three credible sources.
Written clearly and concisely with one or no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style. |
35 (35%) – 39 (39%)
Responds to some of the discussion question(s).
One or two criteria are not addressed or are superficially addressed.
Is somewhat lacking reflection and critical analysis and synthesis.
Somewhat represents knowledge gained from the course readings for the module.
Post is cited with two credible sources.
Written somewhat concisely; may contain more than two spelling or grammatical errors.
Contains some APA formatting errors. |
0 (0%) – 34 (34%)
Does not respond to the discussion question(s) adequately.
Lacks depth or superficially addresses criteria.
Lacks reflection and critical analysis and synthesis.
Does not represent knowledge gained from the course readings for the module.
Contains only one or no credible sources.
Not written clearly or concisely.
Contains more than two spelling or grammatical errors.
Does not adhere to current APA manual writing rules and style. |
|
| Main Post: Timeliness | 10 (10%) – 10 (10%)
Posts main post by day 3. |
0 (0%) – 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) – 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
Does not post by day 3. |
|
| First Response | 17 (17%) – 18 (18%)
Response exhibits synthesis, critical thinking, and application to practice settings.
Responds fully to questions posed by faculty.
Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by at least two scholarly sources.
Demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives.
Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.
Responses to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed.
Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. |
15 (15%) – 16 (16%)
Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings.
Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.
Responses to faculty questions are answered, if posed.
Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources.
Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. |
13 (13%) – 14 (14%)
Response is on topic and may have some depth.
Responses posted in the discussion may lack effective professional communication.
Responses to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed.
Response may lack clear, concise opinions and ideas, and a few or no credible sources are cited. |
0 (0%) – 12 (12%)
Response may not be on topic and lacks depth.
Responses posted in the discussion lack effective professional communication.
Responses to faculty questions are missing.
No credible sources are cited. |
|
| Second Response | 16 (16%) – 17 (17%)
Response exhibits synthesis, critical thinking, and application to practice settings.
Responds fully to questions posed by faculty.
Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by at least two scholarly sources.
Demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives.
Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.
Responses to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed.
Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. |
14 (14%) – 15 (15%)
Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings.
Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.
Responses to faculty questions are answered, if posed.
Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources.
Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. |
12 (12%) – 13 (13%)
Response is on topic and may have some depth.
Responses posted in the discussion may lack effective professional communication.
Responses to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed.
Response may lack clear, concise opinions and ideas, and a few or no credible sources are cited. |
0 (0%) – 11 (11%)
Response may not be on topic and lacks depth.
Responses posted in the discussion lack effective professional communication.
Responses to faculty questions are missing.
No credible sources are cited. |
|
| Participation | 5 (5%) – 5 (5%)
Meets requirements for participation by posting on three different days. |
0 (0%) – 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) – 0 (0%) | 0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
Does not meet requirements for participation by posting on 3 different days. |
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| Total Points: 100 | |||||