The Joint Action “Malnutrition in the Elderly Knowledge Hub” is part of the Strategic Research Agenda of the Joint Programming Initiative “A Healthy Diet for a Healthy Life”. The general objectives of the Malnutrition in the Elderly Knowledge Hub (MaNuEL) are to extend scientific knowledge and to strengthen evidence-based best practice in the field of malnutrition in older persons, to build a sustainable, transnational competence network of malnutrition experts, and to harmonise research and clinical practice. MaNuEL consists of six work packages that will focus on: 1) defining treatable malnutrition in older persons, 2) malnutrition screening in older persons, 3) determinants of malnutrition in older persons, 4) prevention and treatment of malnutrition in older persons, 5) policies and education regarding malnutrition screening and treatment in older persons across Europe and 6) management of MaNuEL.
The specific objectives to be addressed in these work packages are: develop a definition of treatable malnutrition, compile data on the prevalence of treatable malnutrition from existing studies, provide insight into the body composition characteristics of those with treatable malnutrition, obtain an overview based on published literature on existing screening tools for malnutrition in older adults, select preferred malnutrition screening tools for older adults in different community and healthcare settings, obtain malnutrition prevalence data in older adults across Europe (and beyond) based on these preferred screening tools, identify key determinants of (treatable) malnutrition, develop a list of reliable and valid instruments to measure these determinants, obtain an overview on the effects of non-pharmacological interventions on malnutrition, obtain an overview on on-going and planned studies on non-pharmacological interventions, obtain an overview on current policies and practice across Europe regarding screening and treatment of malnutrition in older persons in different health care settings and obtain an overview on formal education of health care professionals across Europe regarding screening and treatment of malnutrition in older persons. MaNuEL will create a network of dedicated scientists to build better research capacity on malnutrition across Europe. It will contribute to a common / shared understanding regarding the definition of malnutrition, the aetiology and prevalence of malnutrition in older persons, preferred screening tool, and effective interventions for malnutrition in older persons from different health care settings. MaNuEL will perform systematic literature reviews to complete the present fragmentary picture on malnutrition and to identify potential knowledge gaps. Furthermore, MaNuEL will bring together and harmonize transnational datasets from nutritional intervention trials and observational studies to perform secondary analyses and build a research infrastructure for future research questions. Finally, MaNuEL will provide insight in current clinical practice, policies and health professionals education on malnutrition and will identify best practice examples and recommendation for improvement.
