Malnutrition Awareness Week 2026

Malnutrition affects both children and adults, often going unnoticed without proper screening. Early detection through screening is vital to improve patient health. Let’s work together to raise awareness and act early to stop malnutrition.
 

Empower growth. Prevent malnutrition.
#MAW2026

Malnutrition among pediatric patients and its impact

Malnutrition is often underestimated and poorly documented in hospitalized children, despite its significant impact on morbidity among pediatric inpatients1.

Malnutrition is associated with significant complications including compromised clinical outcomes, longer hospital stays, and increased healthcare costs3‌-‌8.

The significant burden malnutrition places on the patient and healthcare systems is demonstrated by recent evidence that malnourished pediatric patients experience:

  • a nearly double length of hospital stay and over 3 times higher mortality rates compared to well-nourished patients7.
  • a nearly 3 times higher chance of experiencing complications and readmission to hospital than those well-nourished8.

It is therefore generally recommended that malnutrition should be promptly identified and managed, with the European Society for Paediatric Gastroenterology Hepatology and Nutrition (ESPGHAN) among others calling for nutrition screening for pediatric patients admitted to hospital11.

Screening Tools

Nutritional screening tools are quick, non-invasive tools which are vital to identify and assess nutritional risk. When nutritional risk is identified, a more detailed assessment, with potential nutritional management and follow-up should come after9,10,12.

In a recent position paper ESPGHAN also confirms:

The purpose of nutritional screening is to identify individuals who are at risk for undernutrition, who need further nutritional assessment, and may likely benefit from nutritional intervention which would potentially influence outcome11.

Although various screening tools exist to evaluate nutritional risk and malnutrition in children, there is no universally accepted standard for their implementation.

Some are designed and validated for in-patient hospital settings, while others have been developed and validated in community settings or for specific medical conditions (for example the Feeding and Nutrition Screening Tool (FNST) to identify nutritional risk in children with cerebral palsy).

More information on FNST can be found at FNST - Feeding Nutrition Screening Tool.

Any validated method of nutritional screening will enhance clinicians' awareness of each child's nutritional status12.

The table below offers a summary of the available screening tools, including an analysis of their main components and intended purposes11-21.

Nutritional screening

What screening tool to use (mixed population)?

Screening tool Need for measurements Tied to action plan Predict outcome Different populations Current nutritional status Weight loss / Recent changes Anticipated decline / reduced intake Disease severity
NRS13 ✔ ✔ ✘ ✘ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
PNRS14 ✘ ✔ ✔ ✘ ✘ ✘ ✔ ✔
STAMP15 ✔ ✔ ✘ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
PYMS16,17 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
STRONGkids18 ✘ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✔
PeDiSmart19 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✘ ✔ ✘ ✔ ✔
PeDiSmart20 ✘ ✔ ✘ ✔ ✔ ✔ ✘ ✘
PNSS21 ✔ ✔ ✔ ✘ ✔ ✘ ✔ ✔
Table adapted from11. NRS: Nutrition Risk Score; PNRS: Pediatric Nutritional Risk Score; STAMP: Screening Tool for the Assessment of Malnutrition and Growth; PYMS: Paediatric Yorkhill Malnutrition Score; STRONGkids: Screening Tool for Risk on Nutritional Status and Growth; PeDiSMART: Pediatric Digital Scaled Malnutrition Risk Screening Tool; PNST: Pediatric Nutrition Screening Tool; PNSS: Pediatric Nutrition Screening Score.

In 2022, the ESPGHAN SIG in Clinical Malnutrition published a position paper on nutritional screening in pediatric patients advocating for the regular use of nutritional screening tools for a diverse group of hospitalized children upon their admission. Whilst they remain impartial regarding the selection of a specific screening tool, they highlight the following:

  • The choice of screening tool should be guided by the context, population, and available resources11.
  • Clear recommendations for childcare facilities (written policy & protocol) should be in place for the identification of children with (or at risk of) malnutrition, including nutritional screening, and criteria for further assessment and follow-up11.
More information

ACADEMY4: Free, Independent CME-Accredited E-Learning Courses

Advance your clinical expertise with four practical, evidence-based e-learning courses designed to support healthcare professionals in confidently assessing and managing pediatric malnutrition. Earn up to 5.5 European CME credits (ECMEC®) while enhancing your knowledge and clinical practice.

Accreditation & Endorsement:

  • Accredited by the European Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (UEMS-EACCME®)
  • Endorsed by ASPEN (American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition)

Why register for ACADEMY4?

  • Free access to four independent, evidence-based e-learning courses
  • Earn up to 5.5 European CME credits (ECMEC®)
  • Learn from practical, clinically relevant content that supports the assessment and management of pediatric malnutrition
  • Study at your own pace, anytime and anywhere
  • Courses are accredited by UEMS-EACCME® and endorsed by ASPEN
Infant Faltering Growth
Infant Faltering Growth

Equip yourself with practical tools to recognize and manage faltering growth in infants under 2 years—focusing on nutritional care during the critical first 1,000 days of life.

Find out more
Malnutrition in Children and Adolescents - Fundamentals
Malnutrition in Children and Adolescents – Fundamentals

Understand the foundations of pediatric undernutrition, including definitions, causes, consequences, and essential strategies for nutritional assessment and management in children and adolescents ages 2–19.

Find out more
Malnutrition in Children and Adolescents - Advanced Masterclass
Malnutrition in Children and Adolescents – Advanced Masterclass

Deepen your expertise with a comprehensive review of pediatric undernutrition—focusing on anthropometry, growth assessment, and the clinical management of undernutrition in children and adolescents aged 2–19 years.

Find out more

Pediatric Nutrition & Cerebral Palsy

Understand the impact of malnutrition in children with cerebral palsy (CP) and learn practical strategies to screen for nutritional risk, identify feeding difficulties, and implement appropriate nutritional management.

Find out more

Caleb's story

6 months, congenital heart disease, USA

We finally found something Caleb loved and his weight took off to where we needed it.

Regular nutritional screening and growth monitoring are important to ensure children are identified early and receive the right nutritional support to help them grow and develop22,23. Nutricia partners with healthcare professionals and other experts to help manage children with a wide range of medical conditions, to ensure they grow and develop as well as possible. Our aim is to improve long-term health outcomes by offering a wide range and variety of medical nutrition products, including oral or tube feeding options, as well as tubes/pumps.

Have a look at our extensive portfolio to discover the diversity of Nutricia’s Fortini products

Fortini range is food for special medical purposes for the dietary management of disease related malnutrition and must be used under medical supervision.

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Nutricia, your trusted partner for over 100 years.

Malnutrition in older adults is under-recognised and under-treated24

Disease-related malnutrition can be a consequence of almost any acute or chronic disease and can affect adults of all ages24-28.

Malnutrition affects up to 70% of older patients25 in long term care, yet 60% of at-risk patients lack necessary nutritional support26,27. Early screening and intervention are crucial to prevent severe consequences such as increased infection risk, muscle loss, falls, fractures, and prolonged hospital stays28-30.

Screen your patient now

Malnutrition can have severe consequences for older patients:

  • 3x increased risk of infection30
  • Muscle loss and 8x increased risk of a harmful fall31
  • 3.5x higher risk of complications32
  • 4x risk of developing pressure ulcers33
  • 2-3x greater healthcare costs30

Timely action can support with positive patient outcomes26,28,34.

Nutritional Screening is Key

Older patients can find themselves in a vicious spiral of decline35 and malnutrition is not always easy to recognise without screening36.

ESPEN Guidelines recommend screening as the first step to identify and diagnose malnutrition to ensure tailored intervention and initiation of medical nutrition where appropriate36.

Using validated tools such as Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA)37, Malnutrition Universal Screening Tool (MUST)38, and Malnutrition Screening Tool (MST)38 can help you identify malnutrition risk in patients, with MNA being particularly common among HCPs for older adults36.

Malnutrition screening can be quick and easy. Try a validated screening tool and start screening today.

Screen your patient now
Diagram adapted from: World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe. (2023). Disease-related malnutrition: a time for action. World Health Organization. Regional Office for Europe39.

Once malnutrition risk is identified, a thorough patient assessment can address specific nutritional challenges39,40 such as unintentional weight loss, appetite loss, muscle and physical function decline, chronic conditions causing dysphagia, chronic wounds and digestive issues.

By assessing a patient at malnutrition risk and identifying their individual nutritional challenges, tailored nutritional intervention can be offered36,40.

Early Nutrition Support for improved health outcomes

Patients with malnutrition have increased nutritional needs and ESPEN guidelines recommend 1.2-1.5 g/kg BW/day of protein for older adults, with higher amounts for those with acute illness36. However, only 50% of hospitalised older patients meet these requirements18. High-protein medical nutrition enhances strength, independence, and reduces mortality risk42-44.

Nutrition support with high protein Oral Nutrional Supplements (ONS) helps improve patients’ quality of life, independence, and function. It helps build strength, leading to

  • 1.8kg improvement in hand grip strength43
  • 77% fewer hospital readmissions44,
  • 10 days of earlier discharge from rehabilitation45,
  • 25% lower risk of mortality at 6 months42.

Regular nutritional screenings and early nutritional management supports health outcomes in malnourished patients36-38,46,47.

Nutricia continues to build strong clinical evidence for patient centric nutritional outcomes* and offers a variety of nutritional solutions tailored to meet the diverse needs of malnourished patients48-72.

Find out more
* Danone supported over 24 studies on disease-related malnutrition between January 1st, 2023 and October 1st, 202448-72.

Frailty & Disease Related Malnutrition

There are now more people over 65 than under 5 years old. Particularly during times of illness, nutrition place an important role.

Find out more

Pediatric Disease Related Malnutrition

Optimal growth and development are essential for long-term health. Children may face growth challenges due to their medical condition.

Find out more

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