UK Malnutrition Awareness Week 2025: Ask, Look, Listen – We’re All in This Together
Dates: November 17–23, 2025
National Partners: BAPEN, Malnutrition Task Force (MTF)
Theme: Raising awareness of malnutrition and dehydration among older adults
More information & downloadable resources: UKMAW 2025
Mission Statement: Download PDF
Overview
For the 8th UK Malnutrition Awareness Week (UKMAW), BAPEN and the Malnutrition Task Force unite to raise understanding of malnutrition and dehydration risks, targeting health and social care professionals, community groups, the public, parliamentarians, and policymakers.
More than three million people in the UK are malnourished or at risk, including over one million aged 65+. The lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis have heightened vulnerability, with many older adults facing social isolation, financial constraints, and reduced access to adequate nutrition.
UKMAW highlights the hidden impact of malnutrition on physical health, emotional wellbeing, and healthcare costs. Malnutrition often goes unrecognised, yet it significantly contributes to poor outcomes, longer hospital stays, loss of independence, and higher treatment costs.
Policy Objective
UKMAW 2025 emphasizes that preventing and managing malnutrition is everyone’s business:
-
Public awareness: Recognize risk factors, signs, and available resources, including self-screening tools.
-
Professional awareness: Health and social care staff equipped to spot and manage malnutrition through routine screening.
-
Policy engagement: Policymakers actively promoting malnutrition and dehydration as critical public health issues.
Campaign Focus: Ask, Look, Listen
This year’s central message is simple yet powerful: Ask, Look, Listen.
-
Ask: Check in with vulnerable individuals about their appetite, nutrition, and ability to prepare meals.
-
Look: Watch for signs such as unplanned weight loss, loose clothing, or empty cupboards.
-
Listen: Pay attention to what people say about their wellbeing, loneliness, or loss of interest in daily activities.
By actively practicing these steps, we can identify malnutrition early and intervene effectively, safeguarding the health and independence of older adults.
Key Activities & Initiatives
-
Healthcare engagement: Encouraging professionals to make nutrition a core part of practice and implement robust nutritional care pathways.
-
Public awareness: Highlighting the hidden crisis of malnutrition and dehydration in older adults.
-
Evidence-based advocacy: Sharing data on the cost and impact of malnutrition on the NHS and wider community.
-
Educational campaigns: Guidance, toolkits, webinars, and resources for health and social care staff.
UKMAW also highlights the importance of multidisciplinary collaboration and seeks to debunk the myth that weight loss and frailty are inevitable in later life.
Partners
-
BAPEN: British Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition – advancing nutritional care across the UK. Learn more
-
Malnutrition Task Force (MTF): Established in 2012, focusing on preventing avoidable malnutrition and dehydration in older adults.
Joint Mission Statement: Lesley Carter (MTF Lead) & Dr Nick Thompson (BAPEN President) emphasize the shared goal of improving nutritional care across settings.
Communication Channels
UKMAW 2025 will be promoted through:
-
Website & downloadable assets: UKMAW 2025
-
Social Media:
-
Professional networks: NHS trusts, local authorities, and community groups.
-
Media coverage: Press releases, radio, and television appearances to raise public awareness.
Suggested Hashtags:
#UKMAW2025 #MalnutritionAwarenessWeek #AskLookListen #MAW2025 #ONCAUK
