From institution to foster care: impact on nutritional status.

Eighty-two clients who were transferred from a residential institution to foster-care homes were provided nutrition services as part of their Individual Program Plans. Findings of the nutrition assessment and intervention were analyzed to document the impact of deinstitutionalization and nutrition services. Nutrition-related problems identified were closely associated to the medical problems. More than half of the clients were diagnosed as having seizures and cerebral palsy and were, therefore, at high nutritional risk because of feeding problems and anticonvulsant-induced malnutrition. Forty-three of the 47 clients who were reassessed showed positive changes in height, weight, triceps skinfold thickness, dietary adequacy, and/or biochemical indices.

Ascorbic acid status of children with developmental disabilities.

Ascorbic acid status of thirty-nine white children with developmental disabilities, ages three to nineteen years, is reported. Mean daily ascorbic acid intakes were calculated from three-day food records. Biochemical assessment consisted of fasting serum levels and a 6-hr. load test. Nine children served as a control group for the load test only. Mean dietary intakes for the vitamin were 204 per cent of the allowance. The mean serum ascorbic acid value was 1.3 mg. per deciliter. Only two children had levels at the unacceptable deficient level. Following load tests, ten children were identified as low excretors (less than 17 per cent), nine were moderate excretors (17 to 23 per cent), and the rest were high excretors (above 23 per cent). All of the normal children were high excretors. Two of three children with low ascorbic acid intakes (below 66 per cent of the recommended allowance) were verified as deficient by their fasting serum levels and urinary recovery after a load.

Nutritional indexes of clients in a maternity and infant care project. I. The target population.

The Detroit Maternity and Infant Care Project (DMICP) is funded under Title V of the Social Security Act. Records of 198 pregnant women and their infants seen by a project nutritionist in fiscal 1971-72 were studied. The women were predominantly young (below twenty years of age), black, and not enrolled in school. Most were pregnant for the first time. About a third were overweight. Mean scores on the APGAR scale for the infants at birth were high (7 to 10). More than half of these young mothers brought their infants to the project center for check-ups six to ten times during the first year.

Nutritional indexes of clients in a maternity and infant care project. II. Dietary, anthropometric, and hematologic indexes of pregnant women and their infants.

Low intakes by 198 pregnant women of milk, fruit, and vegetables are reported: consumption of meat and bread and cereals was satisfactory. However, mean hemoglobin and hematocrit values were within acceptable ranges for these women, indicating that supplementation apparently compensated in part for poor dietary habits. Protein intake of the infants of these mothers was above recommendations, the advisability of which is questioned. Height and weight of the male and female infants at birth were above and below the 10th percentile, respectively. By the age of four months, however, all infants were equal to or above this level. Mean hemoglobin levels were above acceptable levels.

Nutritional indexes of clients in a maternity and infant care project. III. Relationships between developmental, medical, and nutritional variables.

Nutritional and medical records of the infants of 198 women of a low socioeconomic group were correlated with results of the Denver Developmental Screening Test. At one year, the infants' developmental age was above the norm. In addition, selected medical, nutritional, and developmental variables, as indicated by charts of the Detroit Maternity and Infant Care Project, were statistically analyzed for interrelationships. No correlation was found between hemoglobin levels, even though they were low for some infants, and developmental indexes. Prenatal weight gain of the mothers was statistically significant in relation to their infants' birth weight, height, and head circumference. Thus periodic monitoring of weight throughout pregnancy is recommended.

Dietitians' attitudes toward advocacy.

A survey was conducted to determine dietitians' attitudes toward and readiness for advocacy. Representative members of an affiliated state dietetic association expressed positive attitudes toward the professional's assumption of the advocate role. The respondents looked to the national, state, and local dietetic associations to provide leadership in the area of advocacy.

Nutrition and drug therapy for persons with developmental disabilities.

Literature relevant to drugs reported as affecting or not affecting nutrient metabolism and diet for developmentally disabled persons was summarized. Many investigators have found side effects of anticonvulsant drugs on vitamin D, calcium, folid acid, and vitamin B12 metabolism. Growth-retarding effects of certain central nervous system stimulants have also been reported. It has beed found that tranquilizers and antidepressant therapy show no effects on nutrient metabolism. Vitamins used in pharmacologic doses are considered as drugs; their therapeutic use was briefly reviewed here. The need for more research on biochemical interaction of drugs and nutrients was recommended.