Investigating preoperative nutritional status and determining the predictors of nutritional status in pediatric surgery patients

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the preoperative nutritional status of pediatric surgery patients and identify predictive factors influencing malnutrition. Methods: A descriptive, cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary university hospital. Data were collected through structured interviews with mothers of children aged three months to 16 years scheduled for elective surgery. Nutritional status was evaluated using STRONGkids tool, Gomez, Waterlow, and WHO classification. Logistic regression identified nutritional risk predictors. Results: Among 162 participants, Gomez and Waterlow classifications show that 66.0% and 76.5% of children are normal, respectively, while WHO classification (z-scores) show that 50.0% of children are in the normal range, while 4.9% are severely undernutrition when calculated without distinction of age. It also shows that 52.5% of children under 5 years of age are normal, 4.9% are severely undernutrition according to WHO classification, and 50.0% of children over 5 years of age are normal, 4.2% are severely undernutrition. Significant differences in nutritional risk were observed based on gender (p=0.03), chronic disease presence (p<0.01), and type of surgery (p<0.01). The analysis revealed that children undergoing thoracic surgery had a 3.16-fold higher nutritional risk compared to those undergoing abdominal or genitourinary surgeries. The length of hospital stays increased nutritional risk by 1.11 times per day. Maternal feeding attitudes were significantly associated with nutritional risk (p<0.01). Preoperative laboratory values indicated lower hemoglobin, hematocrit, and albumin levels in high-risk groups. Conclusions: Preoperative nutritional assessment is crucial in pediatric surgery. Surgery type, hospitalization length, and maternal attitudes significantly impact nutritional risk. Early identification and targeted interventions can improve postoperative outcomes and reduce complications. Further research should explore the effects of age and chronic disease on nutrition.