Providing nutrition care for mothers and children.
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Child↗
Biomedical subjects
C W Suitor
Publications and source records attributed to C W Suitor.
Nutritional assessment of the pregnant woman.
Physicians are encouraged to implement standard procedures to incorporate nutritional assessment into routine prenatal care. Simple questionnaires can produce a useful starting point that guides subsequent questions. Data obtained from the history and medical records, anthropometric measurements, laboratory values, and clinical evaluation of the patient all help to identify women who need emphasis on healthful diet, assistance with obtaining adequate intake, or special nutrition services.
Diet↗
Perspectives on nutrition during pregnancy: Part I, Weight gain; Part II, Nutrient supplements.
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Diet↗
Supplement use among a culturally diverse group of low-income pregnant women.
Among a culturally diverse group of 344 low-income pregnant women, self-reported rates of supplement use prior to confirmation of pregnancy were much lower than those reported for young women in national surveys (16% vs. up to 40%, respectively). Prenatal vitamins, prescribed routinely for all patients, were reportedly taken at least four times a week by 86% of the subjects and two to three times a day by 5%. About 5% of the sample reported consuming highly fortified cereal at least once daily. There is a possibility of higher than recommended use of supplemental vitamins among these women resulting from misunderstanding of the number of pills to be taken and/or high consumption of highly fortified cereals.
Adult↗
Characteristics of diet among a culturally diverse group of low-income pregnant women.
This study reports on diet quality and variety in food selection among a culturally diverse group of 335 low-income pregnant Massachusetts women. The Index for Nutritional Quality (INQ), which is the observed nutrient density divided by the recommended nutrient density, was estimated for seven nutrients from data reported on food frequency questionnaires and diet recalls. Mean INQs for protein and vitamin C were above the recommended level of 1.0, whereas INQ for iron was 0.6 or less. Mean INQ for calcium was 1.2 for whites and between 0.9 and 1.0 for non-whites. When comparisons were made among ethnic groups by site of prenatal care, significant differences in INQ were found for all nutrients except iron and vitamin B-6. WIC participants had higher diet quality for protein, calcium, iron, and vitamin B-6 than did non-participants. Employed women had higher protein and zinc INQs than did unemployed women, and non-smokers had higher iron and vitamin B-6 INQs than did smokers. Variety was not significantly correlated with diet quality but differed (p less than .001) among site-specific ethnic groups. We conclude that there is a need for investigation of factors influencing dietary practices that are associated with sites of prenatal care.
Adolescent↗
Caveat emptor: assessing needs, evaluating computer options.
A variety of services and microcomputer programs are available for providing the dietitian with a mechanized diet-analysis system for calculating nutrients from food records or recipes. They differ widely in the content of their data bases, cost, ease of use, reporting of results, flexibility, and other features. The characteristics of seven programs available by mail order from diet-analysis service vendors and five microcomputer programs were compared. The results of analysis of a one-day food record using various systems and coding by three different operators were compared. Differences by both system and operator were apparent. Nutritionists need to recognize that for some programs the reliability and the validity of data are uncertain. When making purchasing decisions for nonresearch applications, the nutritionist is advised to compare systems and services and to consider carefully whether mechanized diet analysis is of sufficient benefit in the delivery of high-quality nutrition care to offset its cost. The dietitian who chooses to use computerized diet analysis has a responsibility for making sure that reported results are reasonable and for interpreting results to other health professionals and to patients.
Computers↗
Planning high-carbohydrate, high-fiber diets with a microcomputer.
Current research suggests that a diet high in carbohydrate and fiber (HCF) may be useful in the management of diabetes mellitus, hypercholesterolemia, and hypertriglyceridemia. To meet the needs of our clinic population, a microcomputer program has been developed that allows for individualization of HCF menu patterns that satisfy both the diet prescription and the patient's preferences. Educational materials were prepared to guide and augment the HCF diet instruction. It is hoped that this comprehensive approach to diet planning and teaching can be applied in similar settings to facilitate the delivery of quality patient care.
Boston↗