Malnutrition and dietary vulnerability among older adults in Europe are not primarily problems of insufficient knowledge but of fragmented systems: research findings that are not translated into practical guidance, un-even dietary programmes across Member States, limited tools for caregivers, and food environments that differ significantly across living settings. VITAL-AGE is a coordination and support action that addresses this fragmentation by connecting what is known to what needs to happen, and by equipping the actors best placed to act with the evidence, tools and support they need to do so.
The main aim of VITAL-AGE is to connect public authorities, policymakers, and practitioners in a systems approach to provide healthy, sustainable, and affordable diets for older adults who face social, economic and health vulnerabilities. VITAL-AGE advances beyond previous projects by introducing a vulnerability-based operational framework for nutrition in later life, linking dietary needs, food environments and food innova-tion. The project connects vulnerability profiling, food product identification, care environment implemen-tation and policy uptake into a coherent systems approach. The added value of VITAL-AGE lies in its coordi-nation across fragmented national dietary practices rather than de novo nutritional research.
Programma di ricerca: Horizon Europe
Coordinatore: Centro Nacional de Tecnología y Seguridad Alimentaria (CNTA)
Responsabile Scientifico: Francesca Danesi
Durata: 01/03/2027 - 28/02/20230
Importo finanziato totale progetto: 1.994.717,50 €
Importo finanziato DISTAL: 197.778,65 €
Gruppo di ricerca: Francesca Danesi (DISTAL), Rino Ghelfi (DISTAL), Carlo Mengucci (DISTAL), Giovanni Ottoboni (PSI), Rabih Chattat (PSI)