NANA: Novel Assessment of Nutrition and Ageing

The NANA programme of research took place over four years and comprised 42 studies organised into three phases: (1) User Needs analysis (studies 1-13); (2) Development of Integrated Measurement Toolkit (studies 14-38); (3) Full Validation of the NANA Assessment Toolkit (studies 39-42). These studies included focus groups with older adults, nutritionists and health professionals, laboratory based experimental studies and validation studies in older adult's homes. The NANA project was carried out by a multidisciplinary team combining expertise in the psychology of ageing, human nutrition, medical engineering (including mechanical and electrical) and human-computer interaction (HCI).<p>Nutritional status impacts upon the health and physical function of older people, who face a high risk of nutrient deficiencies and malnutrition. Poor nutritional status is particularly related to loss of skeletal muscle mass and strength, ie sarcopenia, which increases both the risk of adverse health outcomes in older people and the burden of other diseases.
A number of factors affect nutritional status in older people although the specific relationships are not well understood. Physical factors, such as problems with chewing and impaired mobility contribute towards nutritional decline. Mental health status is another contributing factor, particularly the presence of depression, which has been proposed as the most common cause of weight loss in the ageing population. However, it is commonly under diagnosed and under treated among older people. There is also growing evidence of associations between diet and cognitive function.
The aim of the NANA project is to develop a comprehensive assessment toolkit using advanced technology to facilitate collection of detailed information from older people on their nutritional status, mental health, physical function and cognition. The outcome will be a single integrated toolkit for use by practitioners and researchers concerned with the health and well-being of older people.</p>