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Assessment of Nutritional Status

Course abstract

The aim of the course is to gain knowledge about nutrition assessment methods, including anthropometry and body composition assessment, and to understand their role in human growing process and ensuring life processes at all ages of life.
Tasks of the course:
1) to give knowledge about nutrition assessment methods, their importance in early diagnostics of nutrient and micronutrient deficiency that allows early finding and elimination of malnutrition or nutrient toxicity (when there is consumed too much of a certain nutrient) risk;

2) to give knowledge about main principles of energy balance ensuring and to understand its changes’ role in development of diseases.

Learning outcomes and their assessment

Knowledge:
1) students will have knowledge about malnutrition occurrence in various patient groups;
2) knowledge about negative impact of malnutrition on treatment results;
3) knowledge about energy metabolism disorders, protein requirements assessment methods, knowledge about sarcopenia in elder people.
Skills:
4) students will have skills about professional examination methods of nutrition;
5) students will have skills about usage of nutritional assessment methods and the usage of results in scientific studies.
Competencies:
6) students will get academic competences in an understanding of contemporary nutritional assessment methods;

7) students will get academic competences in an understanding about nutritional assessment peculiarities for different age group patients, including out-patients and in-patients.

Course Content(Calendar)

Lectures
1. The importance of nutrition and metabolic evaluation. L4
2. Methods of evaluation of malnutrition and their impact in clinical practice. L4
3. Nutrition monitoring, clinical nutrition research. L4
4. Nutritional screening, its importance in clinical practice. Laboratory methods of evaluation of nutrition and metabolism, their necessity and application in practice. L4
5. Commonly used dietary intake assessment methods. L4
6. Evaluation of medical nutrition provision, diagnosis of nutritional deficiency. Laboratory methods of evaluation of nutrition and metabolism, their necessity and application. L4
7. Anthropometric methods, assessment of body composition (BMI in children and adults, bioelectric resistance estimation, etc). Energy metabolism. Energy balance. Analysis of evidence-based nutrition studies. L8
Seminars
1 seminar. Laboratory methods of evaluation of nutrition and metabolism, their necessity and application in practice.

2 seminar. Laboratory methods of evaluation of nutrition and metabolism, their necessity and application.

Requirements for awarding credit points

Lectures and seminars – obligatory. 3 days food intake analysis, analysis and presentation of the research article, final exam – test.

Description of the organization and tasks of students’ independent work

Students’ independent work is organized individually and /or in small groups.
Practical assignments:
1) 3 day food intake analysis;
2) research article study;

3) a summary of food intake and research article analysis.

Criteria for Evaluating Learning Outcomes

Awarding credits:
1) intermediate test – 20%;
2) 3 day nutrition diary and analysis – 20%;
3) analysis and presentation of the research article – 20%;

4) exam (written test) – 40%.

Compulsory reading

1. Monuz, N., Bernstein, M. (2017) Nutritional assessment. Jones & Barlett Learning.
2. Krause’s Food, Nutrition and Diet Therapy. Part 1. Nutrition Assessment. (2017) 14th edit. Elsevier.
3. Selga, G. (2009) Enterālā ēdināšana. GSE.
4. Zariņš, Z., Neimane, L. (2009) Uztura mācība. LU Akadēmiskais apgāds.
5. Handbook of nutrition and food (2002) Edit. C.D.Berdanier. 3rd edit. CRC Press.

Further reading

1. Food and nutrients in disease management (2009) Edit. I.Kohlstadt. Taylor & Francis Group.
2. Gibson, R.S. (2005) Principles of nutritional assessment. 2nd edit. Oxford University Press.

3. Essentials of human nutrition (2002) Edit. J.Mann, S.T.Truswell. 2nd ed. Oxford University Press.

Periodicals and other sources

1. Clinical Nutrition (Journal of European Society of clinical nutrition).
2. Nutrition (International journal of applied and basic nutritional sciences)
3. Nutrition & Metabolism http://www.nutritionandmetabolsim.com/
4. Nutrition Journal http://nutritionj.com/
5. International Journal of Behaviour Nutrition and Physical Activity http://www.ijbnpa.org/

6. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition http://www.jissn.com/