Chapter 11: Nutritional
Assessment questions and answers
1. The nurse recognizes that which of these persons is at greatest risk for
undernutrition?
A. 5-month-old infant
B. 50-year-old woman
C. 20-year-old college student
D. 30-year-old hospital administrator - ANS: A
Vulnerable groups for undernutrition are infants, children, pregnant women, recent
immigrants, persons with low incomes, hospitalized people, and aging adults.
2. When assessing a patient's nutritional status, the nurse recalls that the best
definition of optimal nutritional status is:
A. Nutrients in excess of daily body requirements.
B. Sufficient nutrients to provide for the minimum body needs.
C. Sufficient nutrients for daily body requirements but not for increased metabolic
demands.
D. Sufficient nutrients to provide for daily body requirements and for increased
metabolic demands. - ANS: D
Optimal nutritional status is achieved when sufficient nutrients are consumed to
support day-to-day body needs and any increased metabolic demands resulting from
growth, pregnancy, or illness.
3. The nurse is providing nutrition information to the mother of a 1-year-old child.
Which of these statements represents accurate information for this age group?
A. It is important to maintain adequate fat and caloric intake.
B. The recommended dietary allowances for an infant are the same as for an
adolescent.
C. At this age the baby's growth is minimal so caloric requirements are decreased.
D. The baby should be placed on skim milk to decrease the risk of coronary artery
disease when older. - ANS: A
Because of rapid growth, especially of the brain, infants and children younger than 2
years should not drink skim or low-fat milk or be placed on low-fat diets—fat (calories
and essential fatty acids) is required for proper growth and central nervous system
development.
4. A pregnant woman is interested in breastfeeding her baby, and asks several
questions about the topic. Which information is appropriate for the nurse to share
with her?
A. Breastfeeding is best when also supplemented with bottle feedings.
B. Babies who are breastfed often require supplemental vitamins.
C. Breastfeeding is recommended for infants for the first 2 years of life.
D. Breast milk provides the nutrients necessary for growth as well as natural
immunity - ANS: D
Breastfeeding is recommended for full-term infants for the first year of life because
breast milk is ideally formulated to promote normal infant growth and development
and natural immunity. The other statements are not correct
, 5. A mother and her 13-year-old daughter express their concern related to the
daughter's recent weight gain and increase in appetite. Which of these statements
represents information the nurse should discuss with them?
A. It is necessary to diet and exercise at this age.
B. Snacks should be high in protein, iron, and calcium.
C. Teenagers who have a weight problem should not be allowed to snack.
D. A low-calorie diet is important to prevent the accumulation of fat. - ANS: B
After a period of slow growth in late childhood, adolescence is characterized by rapid
physical growth and endocrine and hormonal changes. Caloric and protein
requirements increase to meet this demand. Because of bone growth and increasing
muscle mass (and, in girls, the onset of menarche), calcium and iron requirements
also increase.
6. The nurse is assessing a 30-year-old unemployed immigrant from an
underdeveloped country who has been in the United States for 1 month. Which of
these problems related to his nutritional status might the nurse expect to find?
A. Obesity
B. Hypotension
C. Osteomalacia
D. Coronary artery disease - ANS: C
General undernutrition, hypertension, diarrhea, lactose intolerance, osteomalacia
(soft bones), scurvy, and dental caries are among the more common nutrition-related
problems of new immigrants from developing countries.
7. During a nutritional assessment of a 22-year-old male refugee, the nurse must
remember to:
A. Obtain a 24-hour dietary recall.
B. Clarify what is meant by the term "food."
C. Provide him with a standard dietary handbook.
D. Assume that his diet is consistent with other refugees from the same country -
ANS: B
Although one may assume that the term "food" is a universal concept, the person
should clarify what is meant by the term. The other responses are not appropriate for
this situation.
8. The nurse is reviewing a patient's nutritional assessment. Which statement is true
concerning the nutritional assessment?
A. It is only useful in patients who are overweight.
B. It identifies patients who are at risk of malnutrition.
C. This assessment can only be thoroughly done by a dietician.
D. It provides the nurse with physical findings related to all the systems. - ANS: B
The purposes of the nutritional assessment are to (1) identify individuals who are
malnourished or are at risk for development of malnutrition, (2) provide data for
designing a plan of care that will prevent or minimize the development of
malnutrition, and (3) establish baseline data for evaluating the efficacy of nutritional
care
9. The nurse is seeing for the first time a patient who has no history of nutrition-
related problems. The initial nutritional screening should include which activity?
Assessment questions and answers
1. The nurse recognizes that which of these persons is at greatest risk for
undernutrition?
A. 5-month-old infant
B. 50-year-old woman
C. 20-year-old college student
D. 30-year-old hospital administrator - ANS: A
Vulnerable groups for undernutrition are infants, children, pregnant women, recent
immigrants, persons with low incomes, hospitalized people, and aging adults.
2. When assessing a patient's nutritional status, the nurse recalls that the best
definition of optimal nutritional status is:
A. Nutrients in excess of daily body requirements.
B. Sufficient nutrients to provide for the minimum body needs.
C. Sufficient nutrients for daily body requirements but not for increased metabolic
demands.
D. Sufficient nutrients to provide for daily body requirements and for increased
metabolic demands. - ANS: D
Optimal nutritional status is achieved when sufficient nutrients are consumed to
support day-to-day body needs and any increased metabolic demands resulting from
growth, pregnancy, or illness.
3. The nurse is providing nutrition information to the mother of a 1-year-old child.
Which of these statements represents accurate information for this age group?
A. It is important to maintain adequate fat and caloric intake.
B. The recommended dietary allowances for an infant are the same as for an
adolescent.
C. At this age the baby's growth is minimal so caloric requirements are decreased.
D. The baby should be placed on skim milk to decrease the risk of coronary artery
disease when older. - ANS: A
Because of rapid growth, especially of the brain, infants and children younger than 2
years should not drink skim or low-fat milk or be placed on low-fat diets—fat (calories
and essential fatty acids) is required for proper growth and central nervous system
development.
4. A pregnant woman is interested in breastfeeding her baby, and asks several
questions about the topic. Which information is appropriate for the nurse to share
with her?
A. Breastfeeding is best when also supplemented with bottle feedings.
B. Babies who are breastfed often require supplemental vitamins.
C. Breastfeeding is recommended for infants for the first 2 years of life.
D. Breast milk provides the nutrients necessary for growth as well as natural
immunity - ANS: D
Breastfeeding is recommended for full-term infants for the first year of life because
breast milk is ideally formulated to promote normal infant growth and development
and natural immunity. The other statements are not correct
, 5. A mother and her 13-year-old daughter express their concern related to the
daughter's recent weight gain and increase in appetite. Which of these statements
represents information the nurse should discuss with them?
A. It is necessary to diet and exercise at this age.
B. Snacks should be high in protein, iron, and calcium.
C. Teenagers who have a weight problem should not be allowed to snack.
D. A low-calorie diet is important to prevent the accumulation of fat. - ANS: B
After a period of slow growth in late childhood, adolescence is characterized by rapid
physical growth and endocrine and hormonal changes. Caloric and protein
requirements increase to meet this demand. Because of bone growth and increasing
muscle mass (and, in girls, the onset of menarche), calcium and iron requirements
also increase.
6. The nurse is assessing a 30-year-old unemployed immigrant from an
underdeveloped country who has been in the United States for 1 month. Which of
these problems related to his nutritional status might the nurse expect to find?
A. Obesity
B. Hypotension
C. Osteomalacia
D. Coronary artery disease - ANS: C
General undernutrition, hypertension, diarrhea, lactose intolerance, osteomalacia
(soft bones), scurvy, and dental caries are among the more common nutrition-related
problems of new immigrants from developing countries.
7. During a nutritional assessment of a 22-year-old male refugee, the nurse must
remember to:
A. Obtain a 24-hour dietary recall.
B. Clarify what is meant by the term "food."
C. Provide him with a standard dietary handbook.
D. Assume that his diet is consistent with other refugees from the same country -
ANS: B
Although one may assume that the term "food" is a universal concept, the person
should clarify what is meant by the term. The other responses are not appropriate for
this situation.
8. The nurse is reviewing a patient's nutritional assessment. Which statement is true
concerning the nutritional assessment?
A. It is only useful in patients who are overweight.
B. It identifies patients who are at risk of malnutrition.
C. This assessment can only be thoroughly done by a dietician.
D. It provides the nurse with physical findings related to all the systems. - ANS: B
The purposes of the nutritional assessment are to (1) identify individuals who are
malnourished or are at risk for development of malnutrition, (2) provide data for
designing a plan of care that will prevent or minimize the development of
malnutrition, and (3) establish baseline data for evaluating the efficacy of nutritional
care
9. The nurse is seeing for the first time a patient who has no history of nutrition-
related problems. The initial nutritional screening should include which activity?
