Nutrition Surveillance

What is the primary goal of nutritional surveillance?

• To promote healthy eating habits

• Watch over nutrition to inform decision-making

• Implement food supplementation

• To prevent all nutritional diseases

Answer explanation

Nutritional surveillance involves ongoing collection, analysis, and interpretation of nutrition-related data to guide interventions

Which of these is NOT a standard anthropometric indicator for under-fives?

• Weight-for-age

• Weight-for-height

• Height-for-age

• BMI-for-age

Answer explanation

The primary indices are wasting (weight-for-height), stunting (height-for-age), and underweight (weight-for-age)

The Frankfurt position is used for which measurement?

• Head circumference

• Weight

• Height

• MUAC

Answer explanation

The Frankfurt plane standardizes head position during height measurement. The Frankfurt plane is an imaginary line created by connecting two specific points on the skull: the lowest point of the bony orbit (orbitale) and the highest point of the ear canal opening (porion). 

Wasting in children is defined as weight‑for‑height more than how many SDs below reference?

• 1 SD

• 2 SD

• 3 SD

• 5 SD

Answer explanation

Wasting = weight‑for‑height < –2 Z-scores

Which organization in India manages the National Nutrition Monitoring Bureau (NNMB)?

• Ministry of Home Affairs

• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)

• National Institute of Nutrition (NIN)

• National Health Mission (NHM)

Answer explanation

The ICMR oversees and funds the activities of the NNMB in India

In nutritional surveillance, which indicator suggests chronic undernutrition in children?

(a)  

Answer explanation

Stunting reflects chronic nutritional deprivation and is used as an indicator of long-standing undernutrition in children

Which of the following is used to classify the severity of malnutrition in preschool children during surveillance?

• Gomez classification

• Serum albumin levels

• Oral glucose tolerance test

• BMI

Answer explanation

Gomez classification is based on weight-for-age and is commonly used for grading malnutrition in children in Indian surveys

What is the main difference between nutrition surveillance and nutrition assessment?

• Surveillance is a one-time evaluation, assessment is ongoing

• Both are one-time evaluations

• Both are ongoing processes

• Surveillance is ongoing, assessment is usually one-time

Answer explanation

Surveillance tracks trends over time; assessment provides a snapshot of status at a point in time

Which organization helped establish global surveillance guidelines at the 1974 World Food Conference?

• UNESCO

• UNICEF

• World Bank

• WTO

Answer explanation

FAO, WHO & UNICEF developed the initial methodology

In India, the ICDS was launched in which year?

• 1965

• 1985

• 1975

• 1995

Answer explanation

ICDS began on 2 October 1975 to support child nutrition