title: [Nutritional problems in children from 3 to 12 years].
abstract: Assessing the nutritional status is like the bottom line of children's health. The first step is to measure height and weight in proper conditions and to calculate the body mass index (BMI). BMI for sex and age allows identifying overweight and obese as well as underweight children. Both situations lead to a clinical exam in order to find causative disease (obesity of endocrine or genetic origin, malnutrition from somatic or behavioral disease). Routine lab study might help whenever referral to specialist is necessary. Nutritional anemia and vitamin D deficiency are two common situations in children that have to be screened and treated. The general practitioner has a central role in nutritional problems in children since he can manage the care within the whole family. This is particularly the case for obesity but also for dyslipidemia, that has to be screened around 8 years, both being major familial risk factor for cardiovascular diseases.
authors.affiliation: Pédiatrie multidisciplinaire-nutrition de l'enfant, CHU de Poitiers, hôpital La Milétrie, 86021 Poitiers. r.hankard@chu-poitiers.fr
authors.forename: Régis
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hankard
mesh_terms: D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D015362:Child Nutrition Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D050171:Dyslipidemias / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology