Nutrition problems of hospitalised children in a developing country: Thailand

Abstract

Nutritional assessment reveals the nutritional status of a patient. It thereby helps identify each patient's need for specific nutritional care and facilitates early intervention. Generally, the common nutrition and nutrition-related problems in hospitalised paediatric patients are: protein energy malnutrition in various degrees; vitamin deficiencies such as A, B1, B2, niacin, folic acid, K and E; mineral deficiencies such as Zn, Fe, Ca, Mg, P, K and Na; essential fatty acid deficiencies; carbohydrate intolerance; maldigestion and malabsorption; and overweight and obesity. However, there is limited information about nutritional status of hospitalised patients in some countries, especially in developing countries. In Thailand, it was found that the prevalence of hospital malnutrition in children aged 1-15 years in the paediatric ward was similar (50-60%) to that of a study conducted 10 years earlier. In another study of micronutrients in 45 paediatric AIDS patients (aged 3-46 months), high prevalences of malnutrition, anaemia and mineral deficiencies were found. For convenience in clinical practice, body mass index (BMI) values for use as an indicator in the assessment of undernutrition in children whose heights are less than 145 cm have been published. These BMI values have been tested and retested using normal children and patients with various degrees of undernutrition and were found to be reliable and valid. Therefore, nutritional status must be assessed in all hospitalised patients. At the very least, weight and height (length) should be obtained.

The nutritional status of hospitalized children: Has this subject been overlooked?

“…In addition, the result of the current study was found to be higher than the 37% of a study in Romania, where the geography and socio-economic status are similar to Turkey (9) and the results of studies in other developed European countries and America (7,8,19). However, the results of the current study are similar to those of Thailand (50%-60%) and lower than those of Honduras (67.3%) (20,21). The reasons for these different results can be listed as differences in patient profiles accepted for hospitalization, the methodology used in the studies, and socio-economic differences between countries and regions.…”

Assessment of nutritional status and nutritional risk in hospitalized Iranian children

“…For instance, rates of 31.8% were seen in a Turkish study of 170 children (12). A study in Thailand found that 50–60% of hospitalized children aged 1–15 years were undernourished (13). In contrast, the prevalence of under‐nutrition in hospitalized children in developed countries is lower, with rates between 14% and 24% (3).…”

Prevalence of malnutrition in a tertiary hospital in Turkey: overlooked subject?

“…There is an inverse relationship between the number of patients with malnutrition and the level of development of a country [5,27,28]. In developing countries, it is known that malnutrition has been one of the primary causes of mortality in children under 5 years of age [29].…”