Nutrition Assessment Paper Example

Patient Background

The patient is a Muslim from Qatar. Below are some of the cultural, social and personal factors that may influence the patient's decision regarding medical nutrition therapy, restrictions on diet and nutritional advice.

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Cultural factors- In the Muslim culture, ingestion of pork or pork products is prohibited. Gelatin, a pork product, is a common ingredient in most cholesterol-reducing drugs.

Social factors- The family rather than the individual is the basis of society in Muslim culture. Having a close family member who understands the patient's diet habits, and cultural beliefs could be highly beneficial to the success of any nutritional therapy.

Personal factors- Some of the individual elements which could have an impact on the patient's adherence to nutritional advice include medical conditions such as allergies to some food components in the recommended diet and the patient's attitudes to certain foods.

Estimating Height using Demi-span Technique

A Demi-span technique will involve measuring the distance between the middle of the notch and the tip of the middle finger with the patient's arm placed horizontally and in line with his shoulders. The height of the patient will then be calculated from the formula below

Height = ((1.40 * demi-span) + 57.8) cm (Serafino, 1999)

To estimate the patient's weight, anthropometric measurements (arm circumference, abdominal circumference, and calf circumference) will be taken. The following method will then be used to estimate the patient's weight.

Weight, kg = (1.2452* calf circumference) + (0.5759* arm circumference) + (0.5263 * abdominal circumference) - (4.8689 * 1) (Charney, n.d.)

Based on the information I have gathered on the patient thus far, the patient is likely to adhere to the dietary recommendations of the Registered Dietician partially. These is because despite the fact that there are some aspects of his cultural background that could be beneficial to the dietary recommendations such as support from family members (daughter), there are other factors which could hinder the chances of the patient fully adhering to the recommended diet such as the Muslim culture of not eating pork products. Personal factors such as allergies could also restrict the patient's ability to adhere to the suggested diet.

To give the supervising Dietician an easy time evaluating my evaluating my assessment, I will present the information in a structured report. I will also include my personal views and recommendations on some critical aspects of the patient's treatment process. The report will also include a limitations section that will guide the dietician on the best approach to take when handling the patient to avoid

The recommended diet gives the patient the best chance of recovery. The patient should, therefore, be placed on the exact menu. Fresh fruits and vegetables can, however, be included in the diet to increase the patient's vitamin supply. Eating oily fish at least twice a week could also bolster the patient's health status (Charney & Malone, 2009).

Muslims believe in the sanctity of the body and that it is one's responsibility to take care of their body. I can use this knowledge of the Islamic culture to convince the patient that improving his health by eating a healthy diet is his responsibility to Allah. The fact that Muslims consider family as the basis of society could also come in handy when convincing the patient to adhere to the recommended diet. I can ask his daughter to help convince the patient that the recommended food is for his good (Charney & Malone, 2009).

References

Charney, P., & Malone, A. (2009). ADA pocket guide to nutrition assessment. Chicago: American Dietetic Association.

Serafino, J. (1999). Demi-span and knee height as alternative measures of skeletal size.

Charney, P. Nutrition assessment.