Belgium’s Malnutrition Awareness Week 2025: Focusing on Older Adults and Primary Care

Dates: November 17–23, 2025
National Partners: BeONCA core group, 40 BeONCA stakeholders, Federal Ministry of Health, and Question Santé
Theme: Raising awareness and promoting action on age- and disease-related malnutrition
More information & toolkit: BeONCA MAW 2025 Toolkit

Overview

As part of European Malnutrition Awareness Week (MAW 2025), Belgium will dedicate the week of November 17–23 to raising awareness about malnutrition (undernutrition) in older adults. Coordinated by BeONCA with support from the Federal Ministry of Health and Question Santé, the campaign aims to sensitize primary care providers and encourage better screening, monitoring, and implementation of nutritional strategies across hospitals, home care, and community settings.

This initiative underscores the impact of malnutrition on well-being, recovery, and healthcare costs, highlighting the need for coordinated action across the healthcare and care sectors.

Objective

Belgium’s MAW 2025 targets primary care professionals and caregivers of older adults, with the goal to:

• Raise awareness of the prevalence of malnutrition in older adults.

• Encourage regular screening and monitoring of nutritional status.

• Promote appropriate nutritional interventions and strategies in hospitals, home care, and community settings.

Rationale: The week is dedicated to providing information, raising awareness, and fostering collaboration on prevention and treatment of age- and disease-related malnutrition.

Key Policy Ask: During this week, BeONCA seeks to unite stakeholders to advocate for transformative action in healthcare and care settings to address malnutrition.

National Initiative: How Can You Participate?

The campaign invites healthcare professionals and institutions to engage in practical actions:

• Learning about malnutrition and/or sharing knowledge with colleagues.

• Organizing awareness-raising activities for other professionals, patients, or families.

• Distributing communication tools within institutions, networks, and partner organizations.

Healthcare professionals and institutions are invited to share a Manifesto with hospital and nursing home directors for their review and signature. The Manifesto emphasizes that:

“A hospital or nursing home that neglects nutrition forgets that caring also means nourishing, and nourishing in a way that is appropriate to the individual’s situation!”

Planned Activities

Belgium’s MAW 2025 will focus on professional engagement and information dissemination, including:

• ESPEN Primary Care Fact Sheet, translated into French and Dutch.

• BeONCA article to be published in a journal for general practitioners in November.

• Template email for BeONCA partners to reach their target audiences.

• Press release summarizing the week’s activities and objectives.

• Toolbox containing slides, videos, recent scientific articles, and other educational materials.

All actions are designed and implemented by BeONCA stakeholders, ensuring alignment with national priorities and professional needs.

Toolkit link: Belgium MAW 2025 Resources

Channels and Communication

The campaign will leverage multiple communication channels:

• BeONCA stakeholders and partners

• Federal Ministry of Health networks, including Hospital Nutrition Support Teams (NSTs)

• Professional journals, LinkedIn, Facebook, and seminars

• Support from Question Santé, providing professional guidance and expertise

Get Involved

Stakeholders and institutions are encouraged to participate, share resources, and amplify messages using the following hashtags: #MAW2025 #BelgiumMAW2025 #ONCABelgium #MalnutritionAwarenessWeek 

Belgium’s MAW 2025 demonstrates how coordinated, targeted actions in primary care and eldercare settings can drive awareness, education, and practical change to combat malnutrition in older adults.