Screening Children for Nutritional Status: Suggestions for Child Health Programs.

This report details two screening programs aimed at determining childhood nutritional problems within a given community. Discussed in section I is a simplified screening approach which involves gathering information about the frequency of specific food stuffs and food nutrients in the community; obtaining family demographic and dietary information by interview; and determining stature, weight, and head size of each child. In section II a more detailed method is treated, which requires the gathering of specific demographic information about the community, a market analysis of local food stuffs, biographic data on the child, a dietary questionnaire for the family, and a physical examination specifically designed to detect nutritional deficiencies. Sample questionnaires and tables are included. (JB)