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BACKGROUND: Early detection of malnutrition amongst children with special needs is critical to support children developmental potential. Subjective Global Nutritional Assessment (SGNA) has been widely used to assess the nutritional status of typically developing children, yet its validity of application for children with special needs has been limited. This study aimed to validate the use of SGNA in assessing the nutritional status of these children.
METHODS: A cross-sectional study was carried out in the community settings of Klang Valley. The nutritional status of children with special needs aged 5 to 18 years old was evaluated with the use of SGNA and common objective measurements (weight, height and mid-upper arm circumference). The assessment components of SGNA include nutrition-focused physical examination and medical history of a child. One single assessor evaluated each child by performing SGNA, followed with anthropometric measurements and 24-hour diet recall with the child’s caretaker respectively.
RESULTS: Ninety children (40 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder, 23 children with Down syndrome and 27 children with Cerebral Palsy) participated the study. SGNA has detected 18.9% of children (n=17) were malnourished as compared to 15.6% (n=14) determined by overall objective measurements. A moderate agreement (κ =0.494) between SGNA and objective measurements was obtained, of which SGNA resulting a 64.3% sensitivity and 89.5% specificity to objective measurements in detecting malnourished children.
CONCLUSION: SGNA is a valid tool for assessing the nutritional status of children with special needs in community setting.
Keywords: Children with special needs, Subjective Global Nutritional Assessment (SGNA), malnutrition, nutritional status
Word count: 237 words