Failure To Thrive Quiz: Can You Find The Cause?

1. A 10-month-old has failure to thrive related to inadequate breastfeeding. What is the priority nursing intervention?

Immediately switch to formula without assessment

Assess latch, milk transfer, and provide lactation support

Restrict breastfeeding and use only bottles

Refer mother to psychiatry for evaluation

2. A 12-month-old with failure to thrive has normal lab work but poor feeding interaction with mother. What is the expected outcome with proper intervention?

Rapid weight gain within 1-2 weeks of hospitalization

Slow, steady weight gain with continued support

No improvement without medication

Permanent developmental delay

3. Which growth parameter is the first to be affected in failure to thrive?

Height

Head circumference

Weight

Arm circumference

4. A child with failure to thrive has persistent diarrhea and steatorrhea. Which condition should be ruled out?

Celiac disease

Cystic fibrosis

Inflammatory bowel disease

All of the above

5. When counseling parents of a child with inorganic failure to thrive, which teaching point is most important?

Blame parents for neglect without support

Provide nonjudgmental nutrition education and parenting support

Recommend immediate child removal from home

Focus only on calorie counting

6. A toddler with failure to thrive exhibits social withdrawal and does not smile. This finding is most consistent with which type of deprivation?

Nutritional deprivation only

Emotional and psychosocial deprivation

Sleep deprivation

Sensory deprivation

7. Which chronic disease most commonly causes organic failure to thrive in children?

Type 1 diabetes

Cystic fibrosis with pancreatic insufficiency

Asthma

Sickle cell disease

8. A child with failure to thrive shows hyperactivity, irritability, and poor concentration. This behavioral pattern suggests which nutritional deficiency?

Iron deficiency

Zinc deficiency

Calcium deficiency

Magnesium deficiency

9. Which social factor is most strongly associated with inorganic failure to thrive?

Parental poverty and food insecurity

Only child status

Urban versus rural residence

Maternal age over 35

10. A child with failure to thrive has a history of repeated infections and poor wound healing. Which vitamin deficiency is most likely?

Vitamin D deficiency

Vitamin C deficiency

Vitamin A deficiency

Vitamin K deficiency

11. A 14-month-old child presents with weight below the 5th percentile for age and delayed developmental milestones. Which assessment finding is most consistent with failure to thrive?

Height and weight both below 5th percentile; poor feeding history

Height above 50th percentile; weight below 5th percentile

Normal growth velocity with recent illness

Birth weight 7 lbs; current weight 20 lbs

12. Which laboratory finding would help differentiate organic from inorganic failure to thrive?

Elevated albumin and normal prealbumin

Low albumin, low prealbumin, and low total protein

High hemoglobin and high hematocrit

Normal liver function tests

13. A parent states their child 'never seems hungry' and refuses most foods. This behavioral pattern is most consistent with which cause?

Pyloric stenosis

Psychosocial deprivation and neglect

Lactose intolerance

Hyperthyroidism

14. Which finding suggests inorganic rather than organic failure to thrive?

Rapid weight gain when hospitalized with adequate nutrition

Persistent vomiting with documented pyloric stenosis

Malabsorption confirmed by stool studies

Confirmed urinary tract infection

15. A toddler with failure to thrive shows poor muscle tone and developmental delay. Which nutrient deficiency should be suspected first?

Zinc deficiency

Protein and calorie malnutrition

Vitamin B12 deficiency

Iron deficiency anemia

16. Which nursing assessment is essential when evaluating a child with suspected failure to thrive?

Parental feeding practices and psychosocial stressors

Sibling growth patterns only

Maternal IQ testing

Birth order and family size

17. A mother reports her 8-month-old eats well but remains below the 5th percentile for weight. Lab work is normal. What is the most likely diagnosis?

Organic failure to thrive

Inorganic failure to thrive

Constitutional growth delay

Celiac disease

18. Which condition is the most common organic cause of failure to thrive in infants?

Congenital heart disease

Gastroesophageal reflux disease