Adolescence is a period of rapid change and opportunities. It is a coming up of age as children grow into young adults. It constitutes 10-19 yrs of age. In Nepal 23% of the population are adolescents. Across-sectional community based study was carried out in 3 schools in Jhaukhel (Bhaktapur) to determine the prevalence of anemia and the effect of IEC in female adolescents. Does IEC effect impro...

Conventional indicators - weight-for-age, height-for-age, weight-for-height and mid-upper arm circumference (MUAC) reflect different facets of the nutritional status. Weight-for-age is the most commonly used indicator. When used individually or in combination, conventional indices fail to depict the overall magnitude of undernutrition in the population. Composite Index of Anthropometric Failure...

In the mid 1970s hospital malnutrition was ‘outed’ as an unacceptable aspect of clinical care, resulting in a surge of interest and investigation that has since changed the way nutritional assessment and support is practised in clinical contexts. The lead editorial in this issue points out that food insecurity is a public health nutrition challenge affecting communities in many, if not all, par...

We studied the aetiology of malnutrition in a cohort of 1511 children < 10 years old in Espiritu Santo, Vanuatu. Malnutrition was categorized using standard anthropometric criteria as: underweight [weight-for-age (WA) Z score < -2], wasting [weight-for-height (WH) Z < -2], or stunting [height-for-age (HA) Z < -2]. On multiple logistic regression analysis, the only factors significantly associat...

BACKGROUND & AIMS One aim of the Australasian Nutrition Care Day Survey was to determine the nutritional status and dietary intake of acute care hospital patients. METHODS Dietitians from 56 hospitals in Australia and New Zealand completed a 24-h survey of nutritional status and dietary intake of adult hospitalised patients. Nutritional risk was evaluated using the Malnutrition Screening Tool...

It is anticipated that humanitarian crisis situations will continue to occur in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region affecting large segments of vulnerable populations. Subsequently the magnitude and effectiveness of the humanitarian response, particularly for food and nutrition, must be based on best practices and sound information of affected populations. To bridge the burgeoning gap...

What we drink has a potentially large impact on our nutrient intake and overall nutrition and health status. Some beverages are energy-dense and nutrient-poor, others deliver alcohol and other drugs, and others can be relatively nutrient-dense. Estimating and assessing the contribution of beverages to nutritional status is an ongoing nutrition assessment challenge. In this issue, Muckelbauer et...

BACKGROUND Malnutrition in elderly patients in institutions has become an issue of clinical concern, but it remains largely unrecognized in acute care hospitals. The demonstrated benefits of intervention emphasize the need for routine nutritional assessment. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of malnutrition in elderly patients admitted to a tertiary care centre and t...

BACKGROUND Undernutrition prior to major abdominal surgery is frequent and increases morbidity and mortality, especially in older patients. The management of undernutrition reduces postoperative complications. Nutritional management should be a priority in patient care during the preoperative period. However undernutrition is rarely detected and the guidelines are infrequently followed. Preoper...

NUTRITION might well be regarded as the Ciniderella of the sciences; but wilihin recent vears people have come to treat it with increasing respect. After all, foodstuffs are only produced to provide niourishment, and the average man spen(ds almost half his wvorking hours earning moniey with which to btuy food. As a result of this increased interest, food, and its relation to health aned disease...