Hospital-Acquired Malnutrition in the Pediatric Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

Malnutrition is a global problem, from which hospitalized patients are not exempt. Hospital-acquired malnutrition (HaM) is associated with adverse outcomes in pediatric patients. Therefore, health professionals need to understand the factors related to the issue in such patients. This study aims to identify the factors associated with the prevalence of HaM in pediatric patients. It employed a cross-sectional design involving children from one month to 18 years old who had been hospitalized for at least 72 hours. HaM was determined by a weight loss of more than 2% by the fourth day of hospitalization. The final sample was 373, from which it was indicated that the prevalence of HaM was 7%. There were statistically significant correlations between HaM and predictor factors, including age (p = 0.001), type of disease (p = 0.017), weight on admission (p = 0.001), nutritional therapy (p = 0.012), and class of ward (p = 0.001). However, the correlation between HaM and length of stay was not statistically significant. HaM occurred in younger patients in relation to infectious diseases, low admission weight, enteral nutrition therapy, longer hospital stays, and lower ward class. Nurses are expected to monitor pediatric patients’ condition, including regular anthropometric measurement, to identify the initial signs of HaM.

Malnutrition is a global problem, from which hospitalized patients are not exempt. Hospital-acquired malnutrition (HaM) is associated with adverse outcomes in pediatric patients. Therefore, health professionals need to understand the factors related to the issue in such patients. This study aims to identify the factors associated with the prevalence of HaM in pediatric patients. It employed a cross-sectional design involving children from one month to 18 years old who had been hospitalized for at least 72 hours. HaM was determined by a weight loss of more than 2% by the fourth day of hospitalization. The final sample was 373, from which it was indicated that the prevalence of HaM was 7%. There were statistically significant correlations between HaM and predictor factors, including age (p = 0.001), type of disease (p = 0.017), weight on admission (p = 0.001), nutritional therapy (p = 0.012), and class of ward (p = 0.001). However, the correlation between HaM and length of stay was not statistically significant. HaM occurred in younger patients in relation to infectious diseases, low admission weight, enteral nutrition therapy, longer hospital stays, and lower ward class. Nurses are expected to monitor pediatric patients’ condition, including regular anthropometric measurement, to identify the initial signs of HaM.