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Medical Student Curriculum Guide
Knowledge—Nutrition

Rationale

Proper nutrition promotes growth and helps maintains health. A number of pediatric conditions present as aberrations of growth where nutritional assessment is central to diagnosis and treatment.

Learning Objectives

  1. State the calories/kg/day needed for normal growth in infants and small children.

  2. Identify the major differences between human milk and commonly available formulas.

  3. Describe the advantages of breast feeding and recognize common difficulties experienced by breast-feeding mothers.

  4. Recognize factors that contribute to the development of obesity or failure to thrive in childhood.

  5. State the components of a routine infant diet history.

  6. Indicate which vitamins and minerals commonly require supplementation in infants, children and adolescents.

  7. Explain the way a diet designed to promote cardiovascular health in children and adolescents differs from diets for adults.

  8. Recognize that chronically ill children may have special nutritional needs requiring unique diets, supplements, or feeding methods. Identify ways diet can be an essential aspect of treatment.

Competencies

  1. Discuss the nutritional advice to provide families regarding:

    • Infant breast feeding vs. formula feeding.

    • Why solids are added to an infant's diet.

    • Use of cow's milk.

  2. Obtain a routine diet history on an infant that includes: the type of feeding (breast vs. formula) with amount and frequency, types and approximate amounts of solids, and diet supplements given (vitamins, fluoride, iron).

  3. Determine whether a formula-fed infant is receiving adequate calories.

  4. Discuss how to advise families about the dietary prevention and treatment of common pediatric mineral (iron, fluoride, calcium) and vitamin deficiencies.

  5. Recognize when nutritional assessment is necessary beyond infancy, and demonstrate how to obtain a daily diet diary with the assistance of a nutritionist.


Copyright 2003
Medical College of Georgia
All rights reserved.

School of Medicine | Medical College of Georgia

Please email comments, suggestions or questions to:
Kenda Rindt, krindt@mail.mcg.edu.
May 28, 2003