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Undernourishment Risk in Hospitalized Children: Development of a Risk Assessment Tool

Ericka Montijo-Barrios1, Martha Guevara-Cruz2, Beatriz Adriana Pinzón-Navarro1, Judith Ileana Gris-Calvo1, Miriam G. Bautista-Silva1, Monserrat Cazares-Mendez1, Roberto Cervantes-Bustamante1, Jaime A. Ramírez-Mayans1, Isabel Medina-Vera3,

1Servicio de Gastroenterología y Nutrición Pediátrica, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, CDMX, México

2Departamento de Fisiología de la Nutrición, Instituto Nacional de Ciencias Médicas y Nutrición Salvador Zubiran, CDMX, México

3Departamento de Metodología de la Investigación, Instituto Nacional de Pediatría, CDMX, México

Journal of Food and Nutrition Research. 2020, 8(1), 15-20. DOI: 10.12691/jfnr-8-1-2
Received December 06, 2019; Revised December 24, 2019; Accepted January 08, 2020

Abstract

Aim: To develop a new screening tool that can quickly assess the risk of undernourishment and evaluate its correlation with frequently used anthropometric indicators. Methods: A new, easy-to-access screening tool was developed for clinical practice with 5 items. A total of 650 children were evaluated, with an average age of 54 months. Their global nutritional status was assessed, as well as the proposed new screening tool. Results: We found that the presence of the item The patient is in serious condition was associated with longer days of hospital stay (18.8 ± 4.5, p=0.002), as was the presence of the item There are factors that increase metabolic and energy demand (20%) (14.4 ± 1.9, p=0.007). Similarly, we observed a greater risk with the presence of undernourishment [OR=2.8 (95% CI=2 – 3.9)] and the item “There is functional limitation for feeding” [OR=2.3 (95% CI=1.4 – 3.5)]. The score of the new tool differed between those who children who exhibited undernourishment versus those who did not [2.1 ± 1.08 vs 1.6 ± 0.99 (p=0.0001)]. Conclusions: The identification of at least 2 items of the new screening tool could help to detect undernourishment, especially in paediatric populations where, due to the large amount of admissions.

Keywords:

undernourishment, nutrition screening tool, paediatrics
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