Finalist
Delivering a Healthcare Intervention: UK Malnutrition Awareness Week
Summary of work
Malnutrition is both a cause and consequence of ill health and affects three million people in the UK, and one in ten (1.3 million) older people.
M&F Health supports BAPEN and the Malnutrition Task Force in their annual UK Malnutrition Awareness Week campaign, which is focused on raising awareness of the causes, signs and symptoms of malnutrition so that people at risk can be identified earlier and managed better.
In 2019, M&F Health created a strategy that shed light on public misconceptions about weight and ageing, specifically exposing popular myths around frailty in later life. Through a combination of survey data and comment from spokespeople from across the malnutrition community, it shaped the media agenda and told the story across multiple platforms. Tight message control meant that the story was told to all audiences in an appropriate and sensitive way. All this was in the context of a wider campaign and contributed to an uptake in screening as a primary outcome.
Judges’ comments
The judges were impressed by the significant media generated and evidence of the increased level of screening as a direct result of the campaign. Strong testimonials from healthcare professionals demonstrates how valuable this campaign is in raising awareness of preventable malnutrition and dehydration in older people and all achieved on a small budget.
