What is the primary purpose of a nutrition intervention?

• A. Alleviating symptoms of a nutrition problem
• B. Determining the cause of a person's nutrition problem
• C. Altering or eliminating the etiologies of a nutrition diagnosis
• D. Researching potential cures for conditions with nutrition implications

Answer: (C)

Interventions are actions taken to change the factors causing a nutrition problem. In the Nutrition Care Process, a nutrition diagnosis lists the problem, its etiology, and signs/symptoms, and the intervention aims to alter or eliminate those etiologies to improve the diagnosis. This means making concrete changes—such as adjusting the diet, adding appropriate supplements, modifying meal timing, or removing barriers in the environment—that address the underlying cause of the problem. Alleviating symptoms can occur, but that isn’t the primary purpose of the intervention. Determining the cause is part of the assessment, not the action taken in intervention, and researching cures falls outside the clinical intervention scope.