Profile of Nutritional Status and Nutrient Intake among Children with Cerebral Palsy in Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung

Abstract

Background: Children with Cerebral Palsy have abnormalities in the motoric function that cause feeding problems and higher energy requirements compared to normal children. These problems put the patients at risk of getting inadequate nutrient intake, leading to malnutrition and thus affecting the health outcomes. This study aimed to explore the nutritional status and nutrient intake among children with Cerebral Palsy. Methods: Children with Cerebral Palsy who came for a rehabilitation program in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Dr. Hasan Sadikin General Hospital Bandung were recruited from September–October 2014. Descriptive quantitative study design was performed. Nutritional status was determined by body weight and body height or length if the children could not stand upright to calculate Z-scoreBMI-for-age and Length/Height-for-age according to WHO. Undernutrition was determined when Z-score≤ -2; stunting was designated as height below the average of their age; whereas wasting as a weight. A repeated 24 hours of food recall was used to measure nutrient intake. Results: There were 18 children with Cerebral Palsy, consisting of boys (n=7) and girls (n=11). Only 33.3% of patients had good nutritional status, the others (n12; 67.7%) were under nutrition; of whom stunting (n7) was found, followed by wasting (n3) and both stunting and wasting (n2). These under nutrition patients had predominantly a lower energy and carbohydrate intake. Conclusions: Most of the Cerebral Palsy children are in under nutrition status due to a low energy and carbohydrate intake, therefore, special attention in mother education for the food pattern of their children needs to be raised.

Keywords

• cerebral palsy, nutrient intake, nutritional status