Undernutrition Risk Identification
Identify At-Risk Patients in Your Office Today
1 OUT OF 40 KIDS*
has at least 1 indicator for moderate to severe undernutrition1
1 OUT OF 8 KIDS*
in the US has at least 1 indicator for undernutrition1
BACKGROUND: Based on American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN)/Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) Pediatric Malnutrition Consensus Statement, 20152
≤-1 | Mild undernutrition
Z-score ≤-1 for any of the following: weight-for-height, BMI-for-age, or MUAC (mid-upper-arm circumference)
≤-2 | Moderate undernutrition
Z-score ≤-2 for any of the following: weight-for-height, BMI-for-age, or MUAC
≤-3 | Severe undernutrition
Z-score ≤-3 for any of the following: height-for-age, weight-for-height, BMI-for-age, or MUAC
UNDERNUTRITION IMPACTS KIDS ACROSS DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS1
* National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data were analyzed from 2005 to 2014 for the prevalence of undernutrition in US children aged 1-13 years. The anthropometrics from 13,950 children were characterized as z-scores using 2000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) growth charts. These z-scores were categorized according to the recent ASPEN/AND definition of malnutrition/undernutrition. The prevalence of undernutrition combining mild/moderate/severe totaled 13.4% of the children analyzed, which equals approximately 1 in 8 kids with at least 1 indicator for undernutrition. The prevalence of moderate and severe undernutrition together totaled 2.4%, which equals approximately 1 in 40 kids having at least 1 indicator in the moderate or severe category for undernutrition.
† Adjusted by 2018 federal poverty guidelines for a family of 4.
References: 1. Price AA, et al. Nutrients. 2020;12(5):1409. doi: 10.3390/nu12051409 2. Becker P, et al. Nutr Clin Pract. 2015;30(1):147-161.
IDENTIFY RISK FACTORS FOR UNDERNUTRITION
Risk factors for faltering growth:
Negative anthropometric trends
Measurement and tracking of growth trends can reveal underlying health issues. Undernutrition may be identified by the following2,3:
≥5% loss in body weight
Meeting ≤75% of daily caloric needs
A decline in one z-score for weight-for-height or BMI-for-age
Medical conditions
Inadequate caloric absorption: Celiac disease or gluten sensitivity; food allergy; malabsorption; cystic fibrosis; chronic kidney disease
Excessive caloric expenditure: Chronic infection; pulmonary or heart disease; oncology-related side effects; burns; trauma
Other medical conditions: Premature infants; hospitalized children; special needs children
Selective diet3
First months of life; difficulty advancing foods; picky eating behaviors
Food insecurity3
Inadequate or inconsistent resources for food
Parental concerns
Concern with changes in diet, food variety
Medications that suppress appetite
May include prescription stimulants used to treat ADD and ADHD
INTERVENE EARLY TO ENSURE OPTIMAL GROWTH
2 PediaSure® per day, along with dietary counseling, helped children increase weight in 8 weeks and height in 24 weeks.4,‡
PediaSure can be used:
- As a snack
- In a recipe
- With meals
PediaSure may be purchased with the support of:
- WIC§
- SNAP/EBT
- FSA/HSA (eligible with a medical referral)
- PediaSure Support2Grow coupon program
* National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data were analyzed from 2005 to 2014 for the prevalence of undernutrition in US children aged 1-13 years. The anthropometrics from 13,950 children were characterized as z-scores using 2000 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) growth charts. These z-scores were categorized according to the recent ASPEN/AND definition of malnutrition/undernutrition. The prevalence of undernutrition combining mild/moderate/severe totaled 13.4% of the children analyzed, which equals approximately 1 in 8 kids with at least 1 indicator for undernutrition. The prevalence of moderate and severe undernutrition together totaled 2.4%, which equals approximately 1 in 40 kids having at least 1 indicator in the moderate or severe category for undernutrition.
† Adjusted by 2018 federal poverty guidelines for a family of 4.
‡ In children ages 3-4 at nutritional risk (5th-25th weight-for-height percentiles), when given 2 servings per day and dietary counseling.
§ WIC is a service mark of the US Department of Agriculture, and an abbreviation for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children. No endorsement of any brand or product by the USDA is implied or intended.
References: 1. Price AA, et al. Nutrients. 2020;12(5):1409. doi:10.3390/nu12051409 2. Becker P, et al. Nutr Clin Pract. 2015;30(1):147-161. 3. Murray RD. Pediatr Ann. 2018;47(11):e465-e469. 4. Huynh DT, et al. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2015;28(6):623-635.
