Metody oceny stanu odżywienia dzieci i młodzieży

The nutritional status assessment is vital in the period of intensive growth and development of a young organism. A full nutritional status assessment is conducted by means of a dietary history, physical examination, as well as anthropometric and biochemical measurements. Taking into account the essence of the problem, it is necessary to possess a standardized tool which might be used in every-day practice for the assessment of the nutritional status of children and adolescents. A dietary history comprises quantitative and qualitative assessment of the consumed food. The simplest anthropometric method which allows for the assessment of the nutritional status of children and adolescents is the measurement of their weight and height with reference to age standards shown in tables and centile charts. BMI - Body Mass Index is frequently used in the nutritional status assessment. In the year 1995, a new mathematical method of body mass assessment was suggested. It is a mathematical formula, which results from multiplying the BMI value by the body surface area, according to the Du Bois formula. The value thus obtained is called the body mass coefficient or, in other words, the body mass index (WMC). There was shown a higher than with BMI correlation between WMC and the total bone mass, fat mass and lean body mass. Thus, it turned out that WMC is a more sensitive method if one wants to identify overweight children. There was proved a significantly greater agreement of the WMC result with the body mass, than it was with reference to BMI. WMC index, rather than BMI, showed a better correlation with height. The information about the nutritional status is additionally provided by laboratory investigations based on the assessment of visceral proteins. The availability of many tools allows for choosing the method which enables the most precise assessment of the child's nutritional status, both in good health and in their illness.