NANA – Novel Assessment of Nutrition and Ageing – JPND Neurodegenerative Disease Research

Title of project or programme
NANA – Novel Assessment of Nutrition and Ageing
Principal Investigators of project/programme grant

Title	Forname	Surname	Institution	Country
Dr	Arlene	Astell	University of St Andrews	UK
Mr	Tim	Adlam	Bath Institute of Medical Engineering Ltd.	UK
Dr	Faustina	Hwang	University of Reading	UK
Dr	Elizabeth	Williams	University of Sheffield	UK
Mr	Steve	Wood	Sanctuary Care Ltd	UK

Address of institution of lead PI

Institution	University of St Andrews
Street Address	St Mary’s College, South Street
City	St Andrews, Fife
Postcode	KY16 9JP

Country
United Kingdom
Source of funding information
Medical Research Council
Total sum awarded (Euro)
984046.25
Start date of award
01-01-2009
Total duration of award in months
24
The project/programme is most relevant to

Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias
Neurodegenerative disease in general

Keywords
Supporting Older People; Nutrition
Research abstract in English
Background: Current figures suggest that 1 in 4 older people are likely to be malnourished. Malnutrition in older people is closely linked to physical frailty, which is a major factor in the development of disability and dependency in old age. Malnutrition may be due to a range of factors including impaired physical function, such as problems with chewing and swallowing or reduced mobility; mental health factors such as depression or social isolation; and cognitive factors such as dementia or other neurological illnesses. It is difficult to examine the links between diet, physical health, mental health and cognitive factors due to inadequacies and unsuitability of currently available methods of measurement.
Description: The aim of this project is to improve the methods available for collecting nutritional information from older people using advanced technology to overcome the limitations of current pen and paper methods. The second aim is to develop a comprehensive assessment package that integrates nutritional information with information on health status; function in activities of daily living; cognition; and mental health to improve the targeting of interventions. The assessment package must be suitable to monitor events over time so that changes and rates of decline or improvement can be detected. Objective: This is a multi-disciplinary programme involving Psychology, Nutrition, Engineering and Software Engineering. Assessment Toolkit. The objective is to develop an assessment toolkit which uses data collected in an older person’s home and analysis this in order to establish likely causes of malnutrition.
Lay summary

NANA – Novel Assessment of Nutrition and Ageing

Investments > €500k
United Kingdom
Alzheimer’s disease & other dementias|Neurodegenerative disease in general
2011