Nutritional assessment is central when providing nutritional care in the community and clinical settings. It includes anthropometric, biochemical, clinical, and dietary assessment. Anthropometric assessment is a major component of nutritional assessment. Anthropometric parameters are used to determine derivative indices and body composition estimation. All these parameters are useful in several situations, either as adiposity markers, assisting in the identification of overweight and obesity, or as muscle mass markers, as a diagnostic component of malnutrition, sarcopenia, frailty, and other nutritional disorders. Anthropometry is practical and available in all settings and populations: communities, hospitals, primary care, long-term care, or nursing homes. Anthropometry is used from preterm babies to centenarians, in both healthy and ill subjects, in particular situations such as pregnancy and lactation, in athletes, or in subjects with a physical disability.
Nevertheless, not all is known about this topic, and health professionals experience many limitations when using anthropometry as a component of nutritional assessment. For example the efficacy of anthropometric measures can be limited in situations such as immobility, amputation, or edema. Moreover, interpreting anthropometric parameters in older subjects, athletes, and subjects with high levels of adiposity, physical disability or functional impairment and immobilization can be challenging, and the loss of validity cannot be overlooked. In such settings, identifying nutritional disorders such as sarcopenia or malnutrition can be complex. Developments in estimation of body composition such as the use of bioelectric impedence analysis (BIA) also poses new questions as to which methods to employ in clinical practice.
It is mandatory to continue investigating and progressing in the field of anthropometric assessment since better assessment will lead to better practice, better nutritional status identification, and better health.
This Research Topic will therefore welcome original research, review, systematic review and meta-analysis manuscripts to increase knowledge relating but not limited to:
• The use of anthropometry as an indicator of nutritional status.
• The use of anthropometry in the identification of nutritional disorders such as malnutrition, sarcopenia and frailty.
• The use of anthropometry in the identification of nutritional disorders such as malnutrition, sarcopenia and frailty in special settings, namely, subjects with physical disability and functional impairment.
• The advantages and limitations of using anthropometric parameters in specific populations such as older adults, subjects with high adiposity levels and athletes.
• Comparison of the validity of anthropometry versus other techniques such as BIA, for body composition estimation, in specific populations, namely: older adults, subjects with high adiposity levels and athletes.
We encourage manuscripts developed in community or clinical settings, in a diverse range of populations such as children and adolescents, adults and older adults, inpatients, athletes, and individuals in other specific situations such as physical disability and functional impairment.
Nutritional assessment is central when providing nutritional care in the community and clinical settings. It includes anthropometric, biochemical, clinical, and dietary assessment. Anthropometric assessment is a major component of nutritional assessment. Anthropometric parameters are used to determine derivative indices and body composition estimation. All these parameters are useful in several situations, either as adiposity markers, assisting in the identification of overweight and obesity, or as muscle mass markers, as a diagnostic component of malnutrition, sarcopenia, frailty, and other nutritional disorders. Anthropometry is practical and available in all settings and populations: communities, hospitals, primary care, long-term care, or nursing homes. Anthropometry is used from preterm babies to centenarians, in both healthy and ill subjects, in particular situations such as pregnancy and lactation, in athletes, or in subjects with a physical disability.
Nevertheless, not all is known about this topic, and health professionals experience many limitations when using anthropometry as a component of nutritional assessment. For example the efficacy of anthropometric measures can be limited in situations such as immobility, amputation, or edema. Moreover, interpreting anthropometric parameters in older subjects, athletes, and subjects with high levels of adiposity, physical disability or functional impairment and immobilization can be challenging, and the loss of validity cannot be overlooked. In such settings, identifying nutritional disorders such as sarcopenia or malnutrition can be complex. Developments in estimation of body composition such as the use of bioelectric impedence analysis (BIA) also poses new questions as to which methods to employ in clinical practice.
It is mandatory to continue investigating and progressing in the field of anthropometric assessment since better assessment will lead to better practice, better nutritional status identification, and better health.
This Research Topic will therefore welcome original research, review, systematic review and meta-analysis manuscripts to increase knowledge relating but not limited to:
• The use of anthropometry as an indicator of nutritional status.
• The use of anthropometry in the identification of nutritional disorders such as malnutrition, sarcopenia and frailty.
• The use of anthropometry in the identification of nutritional disorders such as malnutrition, sarcopenia and frailty in special settings, namely, subjects with physical disability and functional impairment.
• The advantages and limitations of using anthropometric parameters in specific populations such as older adults, subjects with high adiposity levels and athletes.
• Comparison of the validity of anthropometry versus other techniques such as BIA, for body composition estimation, in specific populations, namely: older adults, subjects with high adiposity levels and athletes.
We encourage manuscripts developed in community or clinical settings, in a diverse range of populations such as children and adolescents, adults and older adults, inpatients, athletes, and individuals in other specific situations such as physical disability and functional impairment.