A case study on the assessment of perception towards body image and nutritional status among girl students studying in a district college in West Bengal

Students, mainly girl students, are the future of our society. Hence, it's most important to look into the critical aspects like health, education, self-respect, and earning opportunity. Women and children are the vulnerable sections worldwide. Data shows that young adolescent girls, including college students, usually suffer from anemia, hair and skin issues, obesity or underweight issues, and more. Additionally, urban girls are also psychologically affected due to their perception of body image and overall improper nutritional status. Our study is a survey-oriented study where a simple random sampling method has been used. The survey was conducted in a district girls' college in West Bengal for two days in October 2018. Two dietitians, two nutrition subject experts, and one homeopathic doctor were present with the pre-tested semi-structured questionnaires format duly filled by each respondent. 110 interested girl students studying graduation participated in the primary health cum nutrition screening. BMI calculation through height and weight measurements, screening of nails, hair, skin, tongue, dietary habits, and basic nutrition knowledge assessments were made on the spot. Altogether, data was collected through the dichotomous questionnaires based on nutrition, personal health, and hygiene, followed by subjective opinions and perceptions of the participants' body image. SPSS version-16 was applied for statistical analysis. Twelve attributes were used in the dichotomous questionnaires that found 67% were overweight cum obese. The study revealed 12% anemic, 13% excess hair loss, 62% skin conditioning issues, 65.4% acne or pimples,65% menstruation issues, and 4.5% depression. The study analyzed all the personal attributes to assess their image perception and nutritional status as well. Image complexion is not always essential, but some participants expressed their feeling about their improper appearance. Above all, everyone accepted that proper nutrition is always a significant factor for good health.

Nutritional status of children living within institution-based care: a retrospective analysis with funnel plots and control charts for programme monitoring

ObjectivesThe aim of this study is to fill a key information gap on the nutrition-related epidemiology of orphaned and vulnerable children living within institution-based care (IBC) across six countries.DesignA retrospective analysis with Shewhart control charts and funnel plots to explore intersite and over time variations in nutritional status.SettingWe conducted a retrospective analysis of records from Holt International’s Child Nutrition Programme from 35 sites in six countries; Mongolia, India, Ethiopia, Vietnam, China and the Philippines.ParticipantsDeidentified health records from Holt International’s online nutrition screening database included records from 2926 children, 0–18 years old. Data were collected from 2013 to 2020 and included demographic and health information.ResultsAt initial screening, 717 (28.7%) children were anaemic, 788 (34.1%) underweight, 1048 (37.3%) stunted, 212 (12.6%) wasted, 135 (12%) overweight or obese and 339 (31%) had small head circumference. Many had underlying conditions: low birth weight, 514 (57.5%); prematurity, 294 (42.2%) and disabilities, 739 (25.3%). Children with disabilities had higher prevalence of malnutrition compared with counterparts without disabilities at baseline and 1-year screenings. There was marked intersite variation. Funnel plots highlight sites with malnutrition prevalence outside expected limits for this specific population taking into consideration natural variation at baseline and at 1 year. Control charts show changes in site mean z-scores over time in relation to site control limits.ConclusionsMalnutrition is prevalent among children living within IBC, notably different forms of undernutrition (stunting, underweight, wasting). Underlying risk factors are also common: prematurity, low birth weight and disability. Nutrition interventions should take into account the needs of this vulnerable population, especially for infants and those with disabilities. Using control charts to present data could be especially useful to programme managers as sites outside control limits could represent: problems to be investigated; good practices to be shared.

Omitting the First Step of GLIM Framework Yielded Better Accordance With PG-SGA in Chinese Ambulatory Cancer Patients: a Prospective Cross-sectional Study

Background and Aims: The Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition (GLIM) criteria is a new framework for diagnosing malnutrition in combination of phenotypic and etiologic criteria after nutrition screening using validated screening tools. The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of malnutrition screening tool (MST), malnutrition universal screening tool (MUST) and nutritional risk screening 2002 (NRS2002) as the first step of GLIM framework in comparison to Patients-Generated Subjective Global Assessment (PG-SGA) in Chinese ambulatory cancer patients.Methods: A single-center prospective cross-sectional study was conducted. Nutritional screening and assessment were performed within 4h after admission to the hospital using a structured questionnaire including MST, MUST, NRS2002, PG-SGA and GLIM, with supplement information of calf circumference (CC) measurement and body composition measurement using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA). Malnutrition diagnosis made by GLIM framework using MST, MUST or NRS2002 as the first step or without screening step were compared to PG-SGA separately. Sensitivity, specificity, positive (PPV) and negative (NPV) predictive values and κ values were used to evaluate performance of the screening tools.Results: Of the 562 included patients, Of the participants 62.8% (355/562) were male and 37.2% (210/562) were female, with a male to female radio of 1.69:1. The median age of the patients was 59.0 years (range, 21-82y; interquels range 52.0-65.0y). From the 562 patients included in the study, 41.8% of patients were evaluated as malnutrition (PG-SGA≥4) and 11.9% were diagnosed as severe malnutrition (PG-SGA D). For GLIM criteria, omitting the screening step yielded fair accordance with PG-SGA in diagnosing malnutrition (κ=0.623) and severe malnutrition (κ=0.515). Using MUST as the first step of GLIM framework has better performance (κ=0.614; κ=0.515) than using MST (κ=0.504, κ=0.496) or NRS2002 (κ=0.363, κ=0.503) as the screening tool regardless of severity gradings.Conclusions: Using PG-SGA as the standard, GLIM framework omitting first step has better performance compared with using MST, MUST or NRS2002 as the screening tool. Among the screening tools validated to be used in the first step of GLIM framework, MUST may be the better choice for ambulatory cancer patients.

Examining guidelines and new evidence in oncology nutrition: a position paper on gaps and opportunities in multimodal approaches to improve patient care

Malnutrition, muscle loss, and cachexia are prevalent in cancer and remain key challenges in oncology today. These conditions are frequently underrecognized and undertreated and have devastating consequences for patients. Early nutrition screening/assessment and intervention are associated with improved patient outcomes. As a multifaceted disease, cancer requires multimodal care that integrates supportive interventions, specifically nutrition and exercise, to improve nutrient intake, muscle mass, physical functioning, quality of life, and treatment outcomes. An integrated team of healthcare providers that incorporates societies’ recommendations into clinical practice can help achieve the best possible outcomes. A multidisciplinary panel of experts in oncology, nutrition, exercise, and medicine participated in a 2-day virtual roundtable in October 2020 to discuss gaps and opportunities in oncology nutrition, alone and in combination with exercise, relative to current evidence and international societies’ recommendations. The panel recommended five principles to optimize clinical oncology practice: (1) position oncology nutrition at the center of multidisciplinary care; (2) partner with colleagues and administrators to integrate a nutrition care process into the multidisciplinary cancer care approach; (3) screen all patients for malnutrition risk at diagnosis and regularly throughout treatment; (4) combine exercise and nutrition interventions before (e.g., prehabilitation), during, and after treatment as oncology standard of care to optimize nutrition status and muscle mass; and (5) incorporate a patient-centered approach into multidisciplinary care.