Growth & Undernutrition – Kid Clinical Research

Pediatric Nutrition Assessment

Children are vulnerable to the consequences of malnutrition, so making accurate assessments and diagnoses is crucial to prevent long-term impacts on their growth and development. This review outlines the key components of a comprehensive pediatric nutrition assessment to ensure a proper diagnosis, effective care plans, and documented outcomes.

Green Corkins K, Teague EE. Nutr Clin Pract. 2017;32(1):40-51. doi: 10.1177/0884533616679639

Effect of Oral Nutritional Supplementation (ONS) on Growth in Children With Undernutrition

Read a meta-analysis of undernutrition in children and how the use of ONS as a nutrition intervention resulted in significantly better growth, particularly for those who were mildly or moderately undernourished.

Zhang Z, Li F, Hannon BA, et al. Nutrients. 2021;13(9):3036. doi: 10.3390/nu13093036.

AAP Recommendations For Prevention And Control Of Influenza In Children

Following the recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), this technical report advocates for the routine use of influenza vaccines in children and provides guidance on vaccine storage, administration, and implementation.

Committee on Infectious Diseases. Pediatrics. 2022;150(4):e2022059274. doi:10.1542/peds.2022-059274

Growth, body composition, and cardiovascular (CV) and nutritional risk of 5- to 10-year-old children consuming vegetarian, vegan, or omnivore diets

This article compared children consuming vegan or vegetarian diets against their omnivore counterparts, quantifying differences in body composition, CV risk, micronutrient status, and prevalence of micronutrient and cholesterol abnormalities.

Desmond MA, Sobiecki JG, Jaworski M, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;113(6):1565-1577. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqaa445 

Breastfeeding and Infant Nutrition Knowledge, Attitude, and Practices of Turkish Parents

This study evaluated Turkish parents of healthy babies and children under 2 regarding knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to breastfeeding, transitioning to solid foods, and overall nutrition.

Gülümser Şişko S, Bağ Ö, Kondolot M, Nalbantoğlu B, Gökcay G. Turk Arch Pediatr. 2022;57(4):441-447. doi:10.5152/turkarchpediatr.2022.21201 

Global Trends in Scientific Research on Pediatric Obesity

This study analyzed recent research on pediatric obesity. The results showed the growing importance of this topic in the medical field worldwide, with studies focusing on challenges such as exercise, nutrition, and insulin resistance.

Coronado-Ferrer S, Ferrer-Sapena A, Aleixandre-Benavent R, Valderrama Zurián JC, Cogollos LC. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022;19(3):1251. doi:10.3390/ijerph19031251

How Does Human Milk Affect Childhood Growth & Development?

There are major gaps in our understanding of how human milk components influence childhood growth and development. This article provides summaries of key findings from studies on human milk macronutrients, human milk micronutrients, and human milk bioactive components, which help us to better understand the connection.

Garber E. American Society for Nutrition. nutrition.org/how-does-human-milk-affect-childhood-growth-development/. Published November 27, 2023.

US Pediatrician Practices on Early Nutrition, Feeding, and Growth

Review the results of this study on self-reported pediatrician practices around growth and nutrition for children under 2 years.

Boundy EO, Fisher Boyd A, Hamner HC, et al. J Nutr Educ Behav. 2020;52(1):31-38. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2019.10.006

The Role of the Pediatrician in the Promotion of Healthy, Active Living 

Poor nutrition, lack of physical activity, excessive screen and social media use—these are some of the factors shown to negatively impact the overall health of children and adolescents. Find recommendations for health and wellness practices to improve your patients' well-being.

Muth ND, Bolling C, Hannon T, Sharifi M; Section on Obesity; Comittee on Nutrition. Pediatrics. 2024;153(3):e2023065480. doi:10.1542/peds.2023-065480

Picky Eating in School-Aged Children: Sociodemographic Determinants and the Associations With Dietary Intake

Children who are picky eaters show strong food preferences and reject particular foods or food textures, which can lead to an inadequate or unhealthy diet.

Kutbi HA. Nutrients. 2021;13(8):2518. doi: 10.3390/nu13082518.

Catch-Up Growth in Infants & Young Children With Faltering Growth (FG): Expert Opinion to Guide General Clinicians

This study reports practical recommendations for general clinicians on how FG should be defined in different young child populations at risk, how FG should be assessed and managed, and the role of catch-up growth after a period of FG.

Cooke R, Goulet O, Huysentruyt K, et al. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr. 2023;77(1):7-15. doi:10.1097/MPG.0000000000003784

Nutritional Rehab of Malnourished Children: Are Nutritional Supplements a Must?

Individualized nutrition plans can improve caloric intake, growth, and laboratory parameters. Adding a nutritional supplement to an individualized nutrition plan can promote superior nutritional rehabilitation.

Emam EK, Nassar MF, Allam MF, Ahmed MM, Elkholy HE. Curr Med Res Opin. 2023;39(2):281-287. doi:10.1080/03007995.2022.2135839

Pediatric Malnutrition Screening Tools

Nutrition screening tools have been developed for pediatric patients to help facilitate the identification of kids at risk for malnutrition. This review provides an overview of recent progress in screening methods.

Hulst JM, Huysentruyt K, Joosten KF. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2020;23(3):203-209. doi:10.1097/MCO.0000000000000644

Malnutrition Among Hospitalized Children

Malnutrition continues to be underdiagnosed in hospital settings. This study showed that while there has been improvement in diagnosis of pediatric malnutrition, it continues to be underdiagnosed and healthcare provider education may mitigate this problem.

Carvalho-Salemi J, Phillips W, Wong Vega M, Swanson J, Becker PJ, Salemi JL. [published online 2022 May 31]. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2022;S2212-2672(22)00315-X. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2022.05.021

Nutrition in Adolescent Growth and Development

Adolescence is a nutrition-sensitive phase for growth, during which the benefits of good nutrition extend to many physiological systems.

Norris SA, Frongillo EA, Black MM, et al. Lancet. 2022;399(10320):172-184. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(21)01590-7

MUAC Performance for Identifying Overweight or Obesity in Children

A systematic review of existing evidence on the performance of mid-upper arm circumference for identifying children and adolescents with overweight and obesity.

Sisay BG, Hassen HY, Jima BR, Atlantis E, Gebreyesus SH. Public Health Nutr. 2022;25(3):607-616. doi:10.1017/S1368980022000143

Longitudinal Growth and Health Outcomes in Nutritionally At-Risk Children Who Received Long-Term Nutritional Intervention

A long-term supplementation study on nutritionally at-risk children to evaluate the benefits of receiving oral nutritional supplement.

Huynh DT, Estorninos E, Capeding RZ, Oliver JS, Low YL, Rosales FJ. Longitudinal growth and health outcomes in nutritionally at-risk children who received long-term nutritional intervention. J Hum Nutr Diet. 2015;28(6):623-635. doi:10.1111/jhn.12306

Impact of Long-term Use of Oral Nutritional Supplement on Nutritional Adequacy, Dietary Diversity, Food Intake and Growth of Filipino Preschool Children

This publication analyzes nutrient deficiencies during childhood and their adverse effects on child growth and health, the efficacy of oral nutritional supplementation (ONS) on nutritional adequacy, and dietary counseling on catch-up growth and growth maintenance in nutritionally at-risk Filipino children.

Huynh DT, Estorninos E, Capeding MR, Oliver JS, Low YL, Rosales FJ. J Nutr Sci. 2016;5:e20. Published 2016 May 13. doi:10.1017/jns.2016.6

Clinical Summary- PediaSure^® Supplementation and Dietary Counseling Result in Healthy, Balanced Growth and Increased Diet Diversity for Children Behind in Growth

Three research studies evaluating the effect of oral supplementation (ONS using PediaSure^®) on catch-up growth, obesity risks and table food consumption in nutritionally at-risk children.

Clinical Summary-Utilization of Current Diagnostic Indicators to Characterize Pediatric Malnutrition Among US Children

A summary of current diagnostic indicators used to characterize pediatric malnutrition/undernutrition among children in the United States.

Consensus Statement of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics/American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition: Indicators Recommended for the Identification and Documentation of Pediatric Malnutrition (Undernutrition)

This article recommends that a standardized set of diagnostic indicators be used to identify and document pediatric malnutrition (undernutrition) in routine clinical practice and lists them accordingly.

Becker P, Carney LN, Corkins MR, et al. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, & American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition. Consensus statement of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics/American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition: indicators recommended for the identification and documentation of pediatric malnutrition (undernutrition). Nutrition in clinical practice: official publication of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition 2015;30(1), 147–161. https://doi.org/10.1177/0884533614557642