Lecture no (1)
Definition, Objective and Importance of nutrition
Assessment
Definition of nutrition assesment
• A nutrition assessment is an in-depth evaluation of both
objective and subjective data related to an individual's
food and nutrient intake, lifestyle, and medical history.
• Once the data of an individual is collected and organized,
the practitioner can assess and evaluate the nutritional
status of that person. The assessment leads to a plan of
care, or intervention, designed to help the individual
either maintain the assessed status or attain a healthier
status
• The American Dietetic Association defines nutritional
assessment as “a comprehensive approach, completed by
a registered dietitian, to defining nutritional status that
uses medical, nutrition, and medication histories; physical
examination; anthropometric measurements; and
laboratory data
• Objectives
I. Assessment of the Diet
II. Assessment of Nutritional Status
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III. Macronutrients
IV. Micronutrients
V. Nutrition Throughout the Life Cycle
VI. Weight Control
I. Assessment of the Diet
A. To understand and be able to discuss the definition and use
of:
1. DRI (Daily Reference Intake)
2. RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance)
3. EAR (Estimated Average Requirement)
4. AI (Adequate Intake)
5. UL (Tolerable Upper Intake Level)
6. DV (Daily Value)
7. USDA Food Guide Pyramid
8. Dietary Guidelines
• B. To be able to interpret a nutrition label on a product.
• C. To understand and be able to discuss the dietary
recommendations for:
1. the macro nutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fat)
2. the micronutrients (vitamins and minerals)
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II. Assessment of Nutritional Status
A. To be able to assess a person's nutritional status by
integrating nutrition into
the medical history, review of systems, physical examination
and laboratory evaluation.
B. To be able to collect and interpret data from
1. Anthropometric assessment
2. Biochemical (Laboratory) assessment
3. Clinical assessment
4. Diet History
III. Macronutrients
A. Carbohydrates
1. To understand and be able to discuss:
a. The forms and functions of simple and
complex carbohydrates.
b. Types and functions of dietary fiber
c. Dietary recommendations for
carbohydrates and fiber.
d. To become familiar with food sources
of carbohydrates and fiber.
e. The digestion and absorption of carbohydrates including:
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i. Sites in the gastrointestinal tract
ii. Enzymes of digestion
iii. Types of absorptive processes
B. Fats
1. To understand and be able to discuss:
a. The structures and forms of lipids.
b. The functions of lipids.
c. To become familiar with food sources
of lipids.
d. The digestion and absorption of fats
including:
i. Sites in the gastrointestinal tract
ii. Enzymes of digestion
iii. Types of absorptive processes
C. Proteins
1. To understand and be able to discuss:
a. The functions of proteins
b. The evaluation of protein quality
c. Food sources of proteins
d. Protein deficiency symptoms
e. The digestion and absorption of proteins including:
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i. Sites in the gastrointestinal tract
ii. Enzymes of digestion
iii. Types of absorptive processes
IV. Micronutrients
A. Minerals
1. To understand and be able to discuss for the major
minerals (Sodium, Potassium, Chloride, Calcium, Phosphorus,
Magnesium, Sulfur) and for the trace minerals (Iron, Zinc,
Selenium, Iodide, Copper, Fluoride, Chromium, Manganese,
Molybdenum)
a. The major functions
b. The deficiency symptoms
c. People most at risk for deficiencies
d. The dietary sourcese. The toxicity symptoms
B. Vitamins
1. To understand and be able to discuss for the fat soluble
vitamins (A, D, E, K) and the water soluble vitamins (Thiamin,
Riboflavin, Niacin, Pantothenic acid, Biotin, B6 (pyridoxine),
Folate, B12, C):
a. The major functions
b. The deficiency symptoms
c. People most at risk for deficiencies
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d. The dietary sources
e. The toxicity symptoms
V. Nutrition Throughout the Life Cycle
• A. Infants and Children
1. To recognize the unique nutritional needs of infants and
children
2. To be able to make appropriate recommendations for breast
or bottle feeding
3. To identify the most prevalent nutritional problems of these
age groups
• B. Adolescents and Young Adults
1. To recognize the unique nutritional needs of adolescents
and young adults
2. To identify the most prevalent nutritional problems of this
age group
• C. Elders
1. To recognize the unique nutritional needs of older adults
2. To identify the most prevalent nutritional problems of
this age group
3. To identify some common drug nutrient interactions
and their effect on nutritional status.
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VI. Weight Control
• A. To understand and be able to discuss the contributions
of basal metabolism, activity and the thermic effect of
food to total energy needs
B. To be able to define obesity and understand the risks
associated with obesity.
C. To understand methods for assessing obesity.
D. To be able to discuss the strategies for the treatment of
obesity.
1. Behavior Modification
a. Diet
b. Exercise
2. Pharmacology
3. Surgery
E. To develop an awareness of other types of disordered
eating behavior.
Aims of the objectives of nutritional assessment
• Reduce coronary heart disease death
• Reduce overweight
• Reduce growth retardation among low income children
age 5 years and younger to less than 10%
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• Reduce dietary fat intake to an average of 36% of calories
and 13% from saturated fat for age 20 through 74 years
• Increase complex carbohydrate and fiber in the diet of
adult.
• Increase calcium intake to at least 50% for pregnant
,lactating women, young and older people.
• Decrease salt intake.
• Reduce iron deficiency.
Importance of Nutritional Assessment
• 1-Define nutritional status at a particular time and
evaluate the adequacy of recent nutrient intake.
• 2-Detect clinical malnutrition and identification of
individuals requiring support.
• 3- Preventing poor nutrition before it develops.
• 4-Nutritional assessment gives us greater knowledge of
the relationship between nutrition and health .
• 5- Nutritional assessment also can have an influence on
growth and development of infants ,children and
adolescents ,immunity against disease and risk of diseases
as cancer , coronary heart disease and diabetes.
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