Nutrition Evaluation Screening Tool: An Easy to Use Screening Tool for Hospitalised Children

Implementation of STRONGkids for identifying nutritional risk in outpatients of child health care clinics: Results of a multicentre study

AIM

To investigate nutritional risk across children in their first 2 years at child health care clinics in Jiangsu, China, and to highlight the importance of nutritional risk screening in outpatient clinics.

METHODS

A multi-centre, cross-sectional, observational study was conducted among outpatients in child health care clinics. Nutritional risk screening using the STRONGkids tool and anthropometric assessments were performed on children under 2 years old at outpatient initial visits in ten hospitals from March 2021 to March 2022.

RESULTS

There were 11,454 children enrolled. The percentages of children with high, moderate and low nutritional risk were 2.0% (228), 28.2% (3229) and 69.8% (7997), respectively. The occurrence rate of high nutritional risk was higher in female children than in male children (p < 0.05). The incidence of moderate nutritional risk in infants was significantly higher than in children aged ≥12 months (p < 0.01). Children with moderate or high nutritional risk more frequently answered 'yes' to the STRONGkids item 'high risk disease or major surgery planned'. The top three diagnoses related to nutritional risk were prematurity (50.5%), food allergy (14.3%) and recurrent respiratory disease (10.7%). In addition, the incidence of chronic undernutrition in children with moderate (14.0%) or high nutritional risk (36.4%) was significantly higher than acute undernutrition (p < 0.01).

CONCLUSION

Among children up to 2 years of age seen in child health clinics, nutritional risk associated with prematurity and potential disease requires special attention. Nutritional risk screening should be part of child health care, and STRONGkids is a useful screening tool.

Evaluation of a new digital pediatric malnutrition risk screening tool for hospitalized children with congenital heart disease

BACKGROUND

In a cohort of hospitalized children with congenital heart disease (CHD), a new digital pediatric malnutrition screening tool as a mobile application was validated, and its effectiveness and clinical value were determined as a prospective study.

METHODS AND RESULTS

Children with CHD (n = 1125) were screened for malnutrition risk. The incidence of risk and the differences among various age groups and types of CHD were characterized. The optimal threshold for the tool to determine if there is a risk of malnutrition is score 2, while the Youden index was 79.1%, and the sensitivity and specificity were 91.2% and 87.9%, respectively. Based on such criterion, 351 children were at risk of malnutrition accounting for 31.20% of the total. Compared with the non-malnutritional risk group, the median age for the group at risk for malnutrition was younger (8.641 months [4.8, 23.1] vs. 31.589 months [12.4, 54.3], P < 0.01), and the length of stay was longer (12.000 [8.0, 17.0] vs. (8.420 [5.0, 12.0], P < 0.01]. There were significant differences in malnutrition risk among different age groups (χ2 = 144.933, P < 0.01), and children under one year of age exhibited the highest risk for malnutrition and more extended hospital stay (H = 78.085, P < 0.01). The risk of malnutrition among children with cyanotic CHD was higher than in those with non-cyanotic CHD (χ2 = 104.384, P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

The new digital pediatric malnutrition screening tool showed high sensitivity and specificity in children with CHD. The tool indicated that the malnutrition risk for young children and children with cyanotic or Bethesda moderate and complex CHD was higher, and the hospitalization time was longer than in the non-risk group. The tool provides a rational approach to targeted nutrition intervention and support and may improve clinical outcomes.

Nutrition risk prevalence and screening tools' validity in pediatric patients: A systematic review

Nutrition screening (NS) allows health professionals to identify patients at nutritional risk (NR), enabling early nutrition intervention. This study aimed to systematically review the criterion validity of NS tools for hospitalized non-critical care pediatric patients and to estimate the prevalence of NR in this population. This research was performed using PubMed, Embase, and Scopus databases until June 2021. The reviewers extracted the studies' general information, the population characteristics, the NR prevalence, and the NS tools' concurrent and predictive validity data. Quality evaluation was performed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, adapted Newcastle-Ottawa Scale, and Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies (QUADAS-2). The primary studies were qualitatively analyzed, and descriptive statistics were calculated to describe the NR prevalence. Of the total 3944 studies found, 49 met the inclusion criteria. Ten different pediatric NS tools were identified; the most frequently used were Screening Tool for Risk on Nutritional Status and Growth (STRONGkids), Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition in Pediatrics (STAMP), and Pediatric Yorkhill Malnutrition Score (PYMS). The mean NR prevalence was 59.85% (range, 14.6%-96.9%). Among all NS tools analyzed, STRONGkids and PYMS showed the best diagnostic performance. STRONGkids had the most studies of predictive validity showing that the NR predicted a higher hospital length of stay (odds ratio [OR], 1.96-8.02), health complications during hospitalization (OR, 3.4), and the necessity for nutrition intervention (OR, 18.93). Considering the diagnostic accuracy, robust and replicated findings of predictive validity, and studies' quality, STRONGkids performed best in identifying NR in the pediatric population among the tools identified.

Increased nutrition risk at admission is associated with longer hospitalization in children and adolescents with COVID-19

BACKGROUND

We investigated the association of nutritional risk and inflammatory marker level with length of stay (LOS) in children and adolescents hospitalized for COVID-19 infection in two pediatric teaching hospitals in a developing country.

METHODS

This was a cross-sectional analytical retrospective study performed in two pediatric hospitals. We included the data from all children and adolescents who were hospitalized with a SARS-CoV-2 infection between March and December 2020. Demographic, anthropometric, clinical, and laboratory data were extracted from electronic medical records. Nutritional risk was assessed according to the STRONGkids tool within 24 hours of admission and was categorized into two levels: ≥4 (high risk) and <4 (moderate or low risk). Means or medians were compared between nutritional risk groups using the t test and Mann-Whitney U test, respectively. The association of nutritional risk and inflammatory markers with LOS was estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and log-rank test. Cox proportional-hazard and linear regression models were performed, and adjusted for sex, age, and respiratory symptoms.

RESULTS

From a total of 73 patients, 20 (27.4%) had a STRONGkids score ≥4 at admission, which was associated with a longer LOS even after adjusting (β = 12.30; 1.74-22.9 95% CI; P = 0.023). The same association was observed between LOS and all laboratory markers except for D-dimer.

CONCLUSION

Among children and adolescents with COVID-19, a STRONGkids score ≥4 at admission, lower values of albumin, lymphocytes, and hemoglobin, and higher CRP values were associated with longer LOS.

Nutritional status in the pediatric oncology patients

Nutritional status plays a vital role in the growth of children. In pediatric patients, disease-related malnutrition is a dynamic and multifactorial process supported by several factors such as inflammation, increased energy expenditure, decreased intake or reduced utilization of nutrients. In pediatric patients with malignancies, sarcopenia may coexist with malnutrition, amplifying its negative impact on prognosis. Careful monitoring of nutritional status both at diagnosis and during chemotherapy treatment allows early detection of the risk and/or presence of malnutrition. A rapid and personalized nutritional intervention can improve adherence to treatment, reduce complications and improve the patients' quality of life.

Pedi-R-MAPP: The development of a nutritional awareness tool for use in remote paediatric consultations using a modified Delphi consensus

BACKGROUND & AIMS

The Remote Malnutrition Application (R-MAPP) was developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to provide support for health care professionals (HCPs) working in the community to complete remote nutritional assessments, and provide practical guidance for nutritional care. The aim of this study was to modify the R-MAPP into a version suitable for children, Pediatric Remote Malnutrition Application (Pedi-R-MAPP), and provide a structured approach to completing a nutrition focused assessment as part of a technology enabled care service (TECS) consultation.

METHODS

A ten-step process was completed: 1) permission to modify adult R-MAPP, 2) literature search to inform the Pedi-R-MAPP content, 3) Pedi-R-MAPP draft, 4) international survey of HCP practice using TECS, 5) nutrition experts invited to participate in a modified Delphi process, 6) first stakeholder meeting to agree purpose/draft of the tool, 7) round-one online survey, 8) statements with consensus removed from survey, 9) round-two online survey for statements with no consensus and 10) second stakeholder meeting with finalisation of the Pedi-R-MAPP nutrition awareness tool.

RESULTS

The international survey completed by 463 HCPs, 55% paediatricians, 38% dietitians, 7% nurses/others. When HCPs were asked to look back over the last 12 months, dietitians (n = 110) reported that 5.7 ± 10.6 out of every 10 appointments were completed in person; compared to paediatricians (n = 182) who reported 7.5 ± 7.0 out of every 10 appointments to be in person (p < 0.0001), with the remainder completed as TECS consultations. Overall, 74 articles were identified and used to develop the Pedi-R-MAPP which included colour-coded advice using a traffic light system; green, amber, red and purple. Eighteen participants agreed to participate in the Delphi consensus and completed both rounds of the modified Delphi survey. Agreement was reached at the first meeting on the purpose and draft sections of the proposed tool. In round-one of the online survey, 86% (n = 89/104) of statements reached consensus, whereas in round-two 12.5% (n = 13/104) of statements reached no consensus. At the second expert meeting, contested statements were discussed until agreement was reached and the Pedi-R-MAPP could be finalised.

CONCLUSION

The Pedi-R-MAPP nutrition awareness tool was developed using a modified Delphi consensus. This tool aims to support the technological transformation fast-tracked by the COVID-19 pandemic by providing a structured approach to completing a remote nutrition focused assessment, as well as identifying the frequency of follow up along with those children who may require in-person assessment.