Determining the prevalence of malnutrition in hospitalized paediatric patients.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of malnutrition in hospitalised paediatric patients at Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital.


METHODS
A 1-day cross-sectional survey was completed in all medical and surgical wards and some specialist outpatient clinics.


RESULTS
A total of 227 children participated in the study. Thirty-five per cent of patients were moderately malnourished (< or = -2 z-score), of whom 70% had no road to health card with them. Thirty-four per cent of children under 60 months of age received supplements in addition to a normal ward diet, 7.8% were enterally fed and less than 1% were parenterally fed. Almost 14% of children were found to be overweight/obese, which is higher than the national average of 6%. The prevalence of HIV infection on the day of the audit was 18% across all age groups compared with the Western Cape antenatal prevalence of 15.7% (2005).


CONCLUSIONS
The overall prevalence of undernutrition was 34%, which is comparable with similar studies. However, the proportion of overweight children (14%) was greater than the national average. In view of the level of malnutrition seen, a nutrition risk-screening tool, identifying risk factors for malnutrition such as food access and vulnerability, should be developed. The tool should be used to assess nutrition status and risk during the course of hospitalisation, in addition to planning appropriate nutrition care plan interventions for discharge.
Marino
L V
LV
Department of Dietetics, Red Cross War Memorial Children's Hospital, Rondebosch, Cape Town, South Africa. lmarino@pgwc.gov.za
Goddard
E
E
Workman
L
L
D001835:Body Weight; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006766:Hospitals, County / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006776:Hospitals, Pediatric / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007297:Inpatients; D008297:Male; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013019:South Africa / Q000453:epidemiology