Nutrition and malnutrition: moderate acute malnutrition: practice question

A Pediatrics question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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Pediatrics · Nutrition and malnutrition: moderate acute malnutrition

Sample item

A 14-month-old attends an anganwadi. She is alert and eats well, has no oedema, a mid-upper arm circumference of 12 cm and weight-for-height between -2 and -3 SD. What is the best management?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

C. Community-based supplementary feeding with counselling and follow-up

A mid-upper arm circumference of 11.5 to 12.5 cm or weight-for-height between -2 and -3 SD with good appetite and no complications is moderate acute malnutrition. It is managed in the community with extra energy-dense feeds and monitoring. Facility care is for severe acute malnutrition with complications.

Option by option

  • A. Admission to a nutrition rehabilitation centre for F-75

    Therapeutic F-75 and facility admission are meant for severe malnutrition with poor appetite or complications.

  • B. Routine care with no additional feeding

    She is malnourished and needs additional feeding, not routine care alone.

  • C. Community-based supplementary feeding with counselling and follow-up (correct)

    Correct. Moderate acute malnutrition without complications is managed with supplementary feeding in the community.

  • D. Referral for tertiary hospital care and intravenous fluids

    Intravenous fluids and tertiary care are needed only for shock or severe illness.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

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Questions about this Pediatrics question

What is the answer to this Pediatrics question?

The best answer is C, Community-based supplementary feeding with counselling and follow-up. A mid-upper arm circumference of 11.

Why is "Admission to a nutrition rehabilitation centre for F-75" not the answer?

Therapeutic F-75 and facility admission are meant for severe malnutrition with poor appetite or complications.

Why is "Routine care with no additional feeding" not the answer?

She is malnourished and needs additional feeding, not routine care alone.

Why is "Referral for tertiary hospital care and intravenous fluids" not the answer?

Intravenous fluids and tertiary care are needed only for shock or severe illness.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Nutrition and malnutrition: moderate acute malnutrition in Pediatrics. 5 to 12.5 cm or weight-for-height between -2 and -3 SD with good appetite and no complications is moderate acute malnutrition. It is managed in the community with extra energy-dense feeds and monitoring. Facility care is for severe acute malnutrition with complications.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Nutrition and malnutrition: moderate acute malnutrition?

Memorise milestones and the vaccine schedule as tables and revise them often. Then use the flashcards and the other Pediatrics questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.