Components of a nutritional assessment - Essay Example

Components of a nutritional assessment Components of a nutritional assessment Nutritional assessment is de d by Johnstone (2006) as a technique used to "Evaluate nutritional status, identify disorders of nutrition and determine which individuals need instruction and support" (para. 4). There are four components of nutritional assessment and these include anthropometrics, biochemical data, clinical data, and dietary data or records. Anthropometrics measures include Body mass index (BMI) (DiMaria-Ghalili and Guenter, 2008), body weight, height, and skin-fold dimensions and are used to determine extent of fat or muscle in the body (Johnstone, 2006).

In biochemical analysis, blood, urine, stool, and hair are analyzed in a laboratory. In clinical analysis, an individuals medical history information is assessed and a physical examination conducted to determine nutritional needs. Dietary data is collected through asking an individual to recall what he or she has eaten for the past twenty-four hours, or otherwise the individual is asked to fill a food frequency questionnaire (Johnstone, 2006). Each stage of development has unique nutritional needs.

According to Jarvis (2012), it is imperative to breastfeed a newborn exclusively for the first six months as breast milk contains sufficient nutrients necessary for normal growth and development for an infant. Adolescence is a period of rapid growth hence adolescents have high nutritional needs. Therefore, they need increased intake of carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, and minerals to support their rapid development (Jarvis, 2012). During middle adulthood, growth and development ceases. At this stage nutrients are mainly used for maintenance and repair hence energy giving foods should be reduced, calcium levels increased as there is a decrease in bone mass, and iron needs remain high for women to compensate for losses during menstruation (Jarvis, 2012).

For the elderly, calcium and vitamin D needs remain high for maintenance of bone health, energy giving foods decreased due to reduced activity, and salts and fatty intake should be reduced (Jarvis, 2012). As mentioned earlier, females require more iron to compensate for losses during menstruation. Men have larger bodies in terms of height, weight, and muscle hence require more energy. Additionally, men are more active than female hence require more energy. Daily nutrient intake for adult females are 2000 k/cal while that of men is 2800 k/cal (Jarvis, 2012).

ReferencesDiMaria-Ghalili, R. A., & Guenter, P. A. (2008). How to Try This: The Mini Nutritional Assessment. American Journal of Nursing, 108(2): 50-59. Jarvis, C. (2012). Physical examination & health assessment (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Saunders. Johnstone, C. (2006). Nurses role in nutritional assessment and screening-part one of a two- part series. Nursing Times, 102(49): 28.