Assessment Methods

"Nutritional assessment is the interpretation of anthropometric, biochemical (laboratory), clinical and dietary data to determine whether a person or groups of people are well nourished or malnourished (overnourished or undernourished). Nutritional assessment can be done using the ABCD methods. These refer to the following: A. Anthropometry; B. Biochemical methods; C. Clinical methods; D. Dietary methods.\n\nThe word anthropometry comes from two words: Anthropo means ‘human’ and metry means ‘measurement’. The different measurements taken to assess growth and body composition are presented below. To assess growth, several different measurements including length, height, weight, head circumference, mid-arm circumference, skin-fold thickness, head/chest ratio, and hip/waist ratio can be used. Height and weight measurements are essential in children to evaluate physical growth.\n\nBiochemical or laboratory methods of assessment include measuring a nutrient or its metabolite in the blood, feces, urine or other tissues that have a relationship with the nutrient. An example of this method would be to take blood samples to measure levels of glucose in the body. This method is useful for determining if an individual has diabetes.\n\nIn addition to the anthropometric assessments, you can also assess clinical signs and symptoms that might indicate potential specific nutrient deficiency. Special attention are given to organs such as skin, eyes, tongue, ears, mouth, hair, nails, and gums. Clinical methods of assessing nutritional status involve checking signs of deficiency at specific places on the body or asking the patient whether they have any symptoms that might suggest nutrient deficiency."