The Oxford Handbook of Nutrition and Dietetics.

The Oxford Handbook of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Webster-Gandy J, Madden A, Holdsworth M. Oxford University Press, Oxford, UK, 2006, 730 pages, 24.95 pounds, ISBN 0-19-856725-1

This publication is one of a series 40 or so Oxford Handbooks which cover a wide range of health-care specialities from urology to applied dental science, and includes public health practice. The authors indicate they have not intended to publish yet another pocket book for use by clinical dietitians. They have instead aimed to present compact, concise and accessible information on key aspects of nutrition science, therapeutics and community public health nutrition that will be useful to a range of health professionals practicing in a variety of settings. The editors are all registered dietitians with substantial research and practice track records. There are 19 additional contributors with a good mix of academics and practitioners, at least 12 of whom are dietitians. The editors and contributors are certainly well credentialled to produce this publication.

There is a comprehensive list of abbreviations and medical shorthand. Ten appendices provide a range of useful and mostly expected information, a good deal of which is, as expected, UK specific. Some particularly useful and generic inclusions in the anthropometric appendix are the Cole body mass index (BMI) cut-offs for overweight and obesity in 2- to 18-year-olds, and percentile charts for mid-arm circumference and tricep skin folds. There is a basic protein (2 g, 6 g and negligible) and carbohydrate exchange list, and a relatively comprehensive list of household measure weights that will be of generic use. The appendix on useful contacts includes a list of UK nutritional product manufacturers, which will not be nearly as useful to the Australian reader as the comprehensive list of international (no Australian) and UK websites. There is also a 50-item long bibliography and further reading list. On the inside of the front and back covers are a BMI ready reckoner and the MUST screening tool, respectively.

The main text is divided into 35 chapters. The first section comprises eight introductory chapters, including definitions, dietary reference values and dietary guidelines, current UK dietary patterns, food labelling, non-nutritive food components and drug-nutrient interactions. The chapter on nutritional assessment is comprehensive and contains some useful tables to summarise factors in choosing an individual dietary assessment method and compare the characteristics of body composition methods, and also provides knee height equations to predict stature. There is a large section that provides necessarily very brief information on the expected range of macronutrients, vitamins, minerals and electrolytes. The format is standard and includes sections on function, measurement, deficiency, requirements, toxicity contribution of foods to intake and a list of good food sources. There is a final section on fluid balance.

There are seven chapters that address nutrition through the life cycle. The chapter on infants and preschool children contains excellent information of on promoting and establishing breastfeeding, although it may have been preferable not to use the term 'patient' in the heading for the FAQ for establishing breastfeeding. The chapter on special groups includes information on a good range of minority ethnic groups, but with a focus on those most common in the UK. There is information on eating on a low income and policies for reducing food poverty. The 20 pages on nutrition interventions in populations highlight food and nutrition policies at a range of levels, and include a case study, tips for implementing and evaluating policies, and some useful practical examples.

The remaining 20 chapters cover clinical nutrition in the expected range of conditions. There are also perhaps less-expected chapters on palliative care, nutrition in mental health, rheumatology and bone health, and ketogenic diets. The last two very brief chapters address hospital catering and popular diets. There is a comprehensive 50-page chapter on nutrition support that provides a great deal of information in a concise and accessible form. There is a useful overview of the metabolic response to injury, a very good section on refeeding syndrome and specific sections on critical care, surgery, spinal cord, head and burn injury that will be particularly useful to nurses, doctors and dietitians not experienced in these areas of specialist practice.

The currency of the material will apparently be managed by postings on a specific page on the Oxford University Press website. Although there are two different coloured page-mark ribbons, some additional form of marking the different sections would improve accessibility to the information. Overall, the material is very well presented with many useful summary tables and figures. It is likely that dietitians will find the section(s) that corresponds to their particular speciality areas of practice or expertise to be somewhat limited. However, the implied intention was to provide breadth, not depth, and conciseness, rather than textbook detail, and within these parameters, the publication is excellent. It will be a very useful tool for nurses, doctors and other healthcare professionals, as well as for dietetic students, generalist dietitians and specialists who want access to a concise overview of areas that are not within the scope of their everyday practice. This compact, but hefty publication measures 10 x 18 x 3 cm and weighs 400 g, and will be a useful if bulky addition to either pocket or briefcase.

Lynne Daniels, PhD, APD 

Research Professor, Institute Health Biomedical Innovation, School Public Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia