Cerebral Palsy and Malnutrition – detection, monitoring and prevention in low- and middle-income countries

WHO SHOULD JOIN?

People with lived experience, caregivers of children with cerebral palsy, community health/ rehabilitation workers, nutritionists/ dietitian, students, and researchers working with children with cerebral palsy in resource-limited settings.

BACKGROUND

This interactive webinar will provide an overview of different forms of malnutrition among children with cerebral palsy in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The session will emphasize on understanding the current knowledge and practices for identification and management of malnutrition among children with cerebral palsy in LMICs. The facilitators will use practical examples from their ongoing works with children with cerebral palsy in different LMICs, demonstrate methods, describe challenges and potential strategies in resource limited settings.

OBJECTIVE

The overall objective of this webinar is to share knowledge and empower participants on –

1. Nutritional screening and assessments to detect malnutrition among children with cerebral palsy in LMICs.

2. Basic strategies for prevention and control of malnutrition among children with cerebral palsy in LMICs.

WEBINAR CONTENTS AND STRUCTURE

1. Screening and identification of malnutrition in a child with cerebral palsy.

• What anthropometric measurements should I take? (weight, height, segmental measurements, skin folds)

• When to use weight and height estimation equations?

• What makes the equations more or less accurate?

• What growth charts are used for nutritional diagnosis? why? (US CP growth chart vs WHO growth charts)

2. Prevention and control malnutrition among children with cerebral palsy in LMICs –

• Basic principles/ strategies,

• Resources

• Ongoing research and evidence

LEARNING OUTCOME

This webinar will enable participants with practical skills and insights to evaluate the current scenario of nutritional status of children with cerebral palsy in their local context, develop a framework for nutritional screening and routine monitoring in those children and capacitate them with current knowledge to plan for prevention and control of malnutrition in children with cerebral palsy in resource limited settings. The webinar will also motivate participants to collaborate and conduct further research on nutritional screening/ assessment, prevention, and control of malnutrition among children with cerebral palsy in LMICs.

FACILITATOR (S)

(i) Dr. Mercedes Ruiz Brünner, School of Nutrition, Faculty of Medical Sciences, National University of Córdoba.

(ii) Dr Israt Jahan, Postdoctoral Research Fellow – Global CP Program, Central Queensland University, Australia; Senior Program Manager, CSF Global, Bangladesh.