Nurse Betina should begin screening for lead poisoning when a child reaches which age?
A. 3 months
B. 12 months
C. 24 months
D. 30 months
Correct Answer: B. 12 months
The nurse should start screening a child for lead poisoning at age 12 months and perform repeat screening at age 24, 30, and 36 months. The Advisory Committee on Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention recommends that all children enrolled in Medicaid be screened for elevated blood lead levels at 12 and 24 months of age or at 36 to 72 months of age if they have not previously been screened.
Option A: High-risk infants, such as premature infants and formula-fed infants not receiving iron supplementation, should be screened for iron deficiency anemia at 6 months. Early use and overuse of cow’s milk exacerbates existing causes of iron deficiency in infants. Less often, the problem is due to a severe blood loss or something interfering with the body’s ability to absorb iron, such as a medication the infant is taking or a chronic illness involving the stomach or intestines.
Option C: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that a risk assessment be performed for lead exposure at well-child visits at 6 months, 9 months, 12 months, 18 months, 24 months, and at 3, 4, 5, and 6 years of age. A blood lead level test should be done only if the risk assessment comes back positive.
Option D: The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), as part of an expert committee representing several national healthcare organizations, makes the following recommendation: routine obesity screening of children aged 2 years old or older should include a yearly assessment of weight. BMI changes should be monitored by calculating and plotting BMI on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) growth charts at every healthcare visit.