General practitioners’ practices for malnutrition screening in paediatric populations: a survey in one French department

Background Malnutrition remains a public health problem in Europe, not only in adults, but also in paediatrics. The aim of this study was to evaluate general practitioners (GPs) practices in paediatric malnutrition screening. Methods An anonymised questionnaire was sent to GPs in one French area. We analysed GPs’ data: sociodemographic, knowledge of malnutrition screening, practices, tools, and trainings. Results Overall, 102 of 174 GPs replied to the questionnaire (58.6%). 79.4% of GPs routinely measured weight, but only 33.3% measured both height and BMI, despite having tools (98,6%). 43.6% of GPs systematically reviewed growth charts. 71.3% were familiar with dietary recommendations, 30.7% with blood tests for nutritional status assessment, and 13.7% with dietary supplements. GPs who routinely measured BMI reviewed significantly more growth charts ( p = 0.001) and prescribed more dietary supplements ( p = 0.001). Conclusions GPs do not sufficiently measure children’s height and BMI, despite the increasing availability of software. Failure to analyse growth charts can induce delays in malnutrition screening.