When planning for the nutritional needs of patients, the nurse understands that the age group that has the highest energy requirement per kilogram is?

1. A

   13 to 19 years old

2. B

   3 to 5 years old

3. C

   Over 65 years old

4. D

   Birth to 1 year old

Appeared in: UPUMS Nsg.Officer-2024

Explanation

• Infants from birth to 1 year old are in the most rapid phase of growth in the entire human lifespan, often doubling their birth weight by 4-6 months and tripling it by one year.
• This intense growth, combined with a high basal metabolic rate (BMR) and significant brain development, results in the highest energy demand per kilogram of body weight.
• The recommended energy intake for infants is approximately 80-115 kcal/kg/day, a level significantly higher than any other age group.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

• Option A: While adolescents have high total energy needs to support their growth spurt, their requirement per kilogram of body weight (approx. 51-56 kcal/kg/day) is much lower than that of an infant due to their larger overall body size.
• Option B: The growth rate for preschoolers slows down significantly compared to infancy. Therefore, their energy requirement per kilogram (approx. 79 kcal/kg/day) is lower than an infant's.
• Option C: Older adults generally have the lowest energy requirement per kilogram. This is due to a decrease in basal metabolic rate, a reduction in lean body mass, and often lower levels of physical activity.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

• Nursing practice connection: Knowing Nutritional energy requirements per unit of body weight across the lifespan helps nurses interpret findings accurately and avoid errors in routine assessment, medication administration, and patient teaching.
• Nurses must understand these varying needs for accurate nutritional assessment, especially in pediatrics, to prevent conditions like failure to thrive (undernutrition) or childhood obesity (overnutrition).
• This knowledge is critical for providing effective dietary counseling and education to parents and caregivers about appropriate feeding practices.
• What if? If the question asked for the age group with the highest total daily calorie requirement, the answer would likely be adolescents (13-19 years), especially active males. Their large body size combined with a growth spurt demands more total energy, even though their per-kilogram need is lower than an infant's.

How to Approach the Question

• First, carefully read the question and identify the key phrase: 'highest energy requirement per kilogram'. This is different from the 'highest total energy requirement'.
• Recall the principles of growth and development across the lifespan.
• Relate the rate of growth to metabolic demand. The faster the growth, the higher the energy needs per unit of body weight.
• Consider the growth rate of each option: Infants experience the most rapid growth, followed by adolescents, then younger children. Older adults have ceased growing and have a declining metabolic rate.
• Based on this, conclude that the period of most rapid growth (infancy) corresponds to the highest energy requirement per kilogram.
• Select the 'Birth to 1 year old' option as the correct answer.

Concept Tested & Keywords

• Concept Tested: Nutritional energy requirements per unit of body weight across the lifespan.
• Stem keywords: nutritional needs, energy requirement, per kilogram, age group
• Lead-in keywords: highest

Question ID

QS26EIaFJdKOMyKdDvi_9O

Copy ID

Reference Book

E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 2 — Subpart A (pp 1-232 of 464) p. 168-170

E6 Nutrition Kumud Khanna 2e p. 121-123