Objective: In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the nutritional status of inpatients in a tertiary health center.

Materials and Methods: Patients aged between 2 months and 18 years who were hospitalized and followed up in the Firat University Faculty of Medicine Pediatric Clinics were included in this study. The classifications of Gomez, Waterlow and the World Health Organization (WHO) were used to determine the degree of malnutrition, and values between -2.00 SD and -3 SD as mild-moderate malnutrition, and values less than -3.00 SD as severe malnutrition.

Results: A total of 1063 patients, 604 (56.8%) of whom were male were evaluated. The mean age of the patients was 5.7±5.4 years (male: 4.9±5.0; female: 6.8±5.7). Classification based on weight for age, height for age and weight for height, malnutrition rates were found 43.1%, 26.2% and 34.5% respectively. Based on weight for age z-score, 11.8% of the patients had mild-moderate malnutrition and 2% severe malnutrition. Based on height for age z-score, these rates were 10% and 4.9%, respectively. Based on triceps skinfold thickness and body mass index, malnutrition was detected in 15.8% and 21% of the cases, respectively.

Conclusion: This study shows that the prevalence of malnutrition in hospitalized children is still high. The nutritional status of each hospitalized child should be evaluated.