Nutrition Focused Physical Exam in Patients with Excess Adiposity: A Must-Have Skill for the Nutrition Professional

Student Pricing: $10.00

For many reasons, low muscle mass and subcutaneous fat loss can be overlooked in patients with excess adiposity. However, research indicates that low muscle mass and malnutrition can lead to poor outcomes, and high body fat and low muscle mass are independent predictors of all-cause mortality. This population can also be at high risk for vitamin and mineral abnormalities, especially in the context of weight loss or bariatric surgery. Nutritional professionals must be equipped to identify muscle and subcutaneous fat loss and malnutrition in this population in order to provide optimal nutrition interventions. The nutrition focused physical exam can be a useful tool for the nutrition assessment of this patient population and other tools, such as CT imaging, can be used to compliment this hands-on assessment.

This webinar was presented live on March 17, 2022. The CPE associated with this activity expires on March 17, 2025.

CPE Level: 2
CPEU: 1.0

Performance Indicators:

• 10.2.5 Conducts nutrition-focused physical examinations to determine nutritional statuses of clients.
• 10.2.1 Utilizes valid and reliable tools to conduct nutrition assessments.
• 10.2.6 Collects and analyzes anthropometric and body composition data to support nutrition diagnoses.

Learning Objectives

1. Explain clinically outcomes associated with myopenia and malnutrition, specifically in patients with excess adiposity.
2. Describe tools available for the assessment of muscle and subcutaneous fat mass including the nutrition focused physical exam and CT imaging.
3. Utilize the nutrition focused physical exam for the assessment of muscle stores, subcutaneous fat stores and micronutrient abnormalities; and understand the importance of the nutrition focused physical exam in patients with excess adiposity.

Speaker

Julie McGuire MS, RDN, LD

Julie McGuire is an instructor and the Master's Program Coordinator for the Graduate Programs in Human Nutrition at OHSU in Portland, Oregon. Julie has a BA in Biology and Environmental Studies from Whitman College and a BS in Nutrition and Food Management from Oregon State University. She completed her dietetic internship and Master of Science in Clinical Nutrition at OHSU in 2009. Julie learned the nutrition focused physical exam as a graduate student and found it to be a crucial component of her practice as a clinical dietitian. At OHSU, she now teaches the NFPE course for the master’s programs and she has been a NFPE Trainer for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics since 2015. Julie is also involved in a variety of research projects including projects focused on the NFPE.