Plant protein, fibre and physical activity solutions to address poor appetite and prevent undernutrition in older adults: study protocol for the APPETITE randomised controlled trial.

Reduced appetite with ageing is a key factor that may increase risk of undernutrition. The objective of this study is to determine the impact of innovative plant protein fibre (PPF) products within a personalised optimised diet (PD), a physical activity (PA) programme, and their combination on appetite, and other nutritional, functional and clinical outcomes in community-dwelling older adults in a multi-country randomised controlled intervention trial. One hundred and eighty community-dwelling adults (approximately sixty per trial centre in Germany, Ireland and Italy) aged 65 years and over will be recruited to participate in a 12-week, parallel-group, controlled trial.

Sustainability-informed dietetics education: key messages for educators and national dietetics associations.

Background: Dietetics curricula currently fail to meet the educational needs of the future dietetic workforce to contribute expertise in sustainable, healthy food systems in the settings in which dietitians work. A 'Global Networking Event on Sustainable Food Systems in Nutrition and Dietetics Education' was held in June 2023 with the goals of building relationships among international stakeholders and informing the development of shared curricula.

Methods: Plenary lectures, panels and roundtable discussions were held over 2 days, designed to provide the background required to generate informed actions.

Accuracy of Resting Metabolic Rate Prediction Equations in Athletes: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis.

Background: Resting metabolic rate (RMR) prediction equations are often used to calculate RMR in athletes; however, their accuracy and precision can vary greatly.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine which RMR prediction equations are (i) most accurate (average predicted values closest to measured values) and (ii) most precise (number of individuals within 10% of measured value).

Data Sources: A systematic search of PubMed, CINAHL, SPORTDiscus, Embase, and Web of Science up to November 2021 was conducted.

Prevalence and determinants of sarcopenia in community-dwelling older adults in Ireland.

Background: Data on the prevalence of sarcopenia among older adults in Ireland are lacking.

Aims: To assess the prevalence and determinants of sarcopenia among community-dwelling older adults in Ireland.

Methods: This cross-sectional analysis involved n = 308 community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 65 y living in Ireland.

Impact of malnutrition management e-learning module on GPs' knowledge: a pilot study.

Background: Malnutrition is underdiagnosed in primary care. GPs are key healthcare contacts for older adults at risk of protein-energy malnutrition; however, lack of knowledge and confidence in its diagnosis and treatment is often reported.

Aim: To evaluate the impact of a bespoke online education module on GP malnutrition knowledge and management.

Reflections on recruiting healthcare professionals as research participants: Learning from the ONSPres Study.

The involvement of healthcare professionals (HCPs) as research participants is essential to generate high quality evidence for enhancing health services and practice.  Research teams face many challenges in recruiting HCPs for research, and barriers and enablers for interdisciplinary research are not well described in the literature.  The Oral Nutritional Supplement Prescribing Malnutrition Research Study (ONSPres Study) examined malnutrition identification, management, and appropriate oral nutritional supplement prescribing in primary care in Ireland.

Advances in knowledge of screening practices and their use in clinical practice to prevent malnutrition.

Malnutrition is common among older adults and is associated with a progressive decline in overall health and increased mortality. With a rapidly ageing population, the detection, prevention and management of malnutrition require urgent attention within health service planning and delivery. Routine screening for malnutrition among older adults in community settings, which addresses aetiological as well as phenotypic factors, is considered an important step for prevention and early intervention.

Nutrition policy: developing scientific recommendations for food-based dietary guidelines for older adults living independently in Ireland.

Older adults (≥65 years) are the fastest growing population group. Thus, ensuring nutritional well-being of the 'over-65s' to optimise health is critically important. Older adults represent a diverse population - some are fit and healthy, others are frail and many live with chronic conditions.

Disparities in Oral Nutritional Supplement Usage and Dispensing Patterns across Primary Care in Ireland: ONSPres Project.

When treating malnutrition, oral nutritional supplements (ONSs) are advised when optimising the diet is insufficient; however, ONS usage and user characteristics have not been previously analysed. A retrospective secondary analysis was performed on dispensed pharmacy claim data for 14,282 anonymised adult patients in primary care in Ireland in 2018. Patient sex, age, residential status, ONS volume (units) and ONS cost (EUR) were analysed.

Ageing rate of older adults affects the factors associated with, and the determinants of malnutrition in the community: a systematic review and narrative synthesis.

Background: Malnutrition negatively impacts on health, quality of life and disease outcomes in older adults. The reported factors associated with, and determinants of malnutrition, are inconsistent between studies. These factors may vary according to differences in rate of ageing.

Associations between Neighborhood Deprivation Index, Parent Perceptions and Preschooler Lifestyle Behaviors.

Parental perceptions and use of neighborhood facilities are important factors that are related to children's dietary intake and physical activity. The aim of this study was to examine the association between neighborhood deprivation index, parents' perceptions of their neighborhood environment, and healthy/unhealthy markers of child dietary intake, physical activity, and TV screen time. This cross-sectional study was conducted in Dublin, Ireland.

Nutrition and Frailty: Opportunities for Prevention and Treatment.

Frailty is a syndrome of growing importance given the global ageing population. While frailty is a multifactorial process, poor nutritional status is considered a key contributor to its pathophysiology. As nutrition is a modifiable risk factor for frailty, strategies to prevent and treat frailty should consider dietary change.

Healthcare professionals' perceptions of malnutrition management and oral nutritional supplement prescribing in the community: A qualitative study.

Background & Aim: Protein-energy malnutrition is under-recognised in the community despite being common in older adults due to physiological and social changes which are often compounded by chronic disease. This qualitative study aimed to explore the opinions of healthcare professionals (HCPs) working in the primary care and community settings about the management of malnutrition and the prescription of oral nutritional supplements (ONS), often included in the treatment of malnutrition.

Methods: Twelve healthcare professional (HCP) focus groups with 75 participants were conducted: community dietitians (n = 17), registered dietitians working in industry (n = 5), community and residential care nurses (n = 22), physiotherapists (n = 12), pharmacists (n = 9), occupational therapists (n = 6) and speech and language therapists (n = 4).

'It takes a village': a qualitative study on malnutrition and oral nutritional supplements with older adults in Ireland.

Background: Malnutrition affects approximately 20% of older adult populations in Europe, yet their views on the condition are rarely explored. This qualitative study aimed to explore the experiences of older adults living with malnutrition and prescribed oral nutritional supplements in the community setting.

Methods: Semi-structured individual interviews were used to collect data from 13 community-dwelling individuals aged ≥60 years with a current or previous prescription for oral nutritional supplements.

Malnutrition: A Misunderstood Diagnosis by Primary Care Health Care Professionals and Community-Dwelling Older Adults in Ireland.

Background: Language and communication have an impact on how a clinical condition is treated and experienced, from both the health care professional (HCP) and patient perspective. Malnutrition is prevalent among community-dwelling older adults, yet perceptions of patient understanding of the term malnutrition to date remain underexplored.

Objective: This qualitative study explored the use and perceptions of the term malnutrition among HCPs and older adults at risk of malnutrition.

Athletes' and Coaches' Perceptions of Nutritional Advice: Eating More Food for Health and Performance.

Background: Low energy availability results in physiological adaptations which contribute to unfavourable health outcomes. Little information exists on perceptions of nutritional advice to eat more food to maintain health and enhance performance. The aim of this study was to explore athletes' and coaches' perceptions towards advice to athletes to eat larger than their current quantities of food and to explore how nutritionists could deliver this advice.

Does supplementation with leucine-enriched protein alone and in combination with fish-oil-derived n-3 PUFA affect muscle mass, strength, physical performance, and muscle protein synthesis in well-nourished older adults? A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial.

Background: Leucine-enriched protein (LEU-PRO) and long-chain (LC) n-3 (ω-3) PUFAs have each been proposed to improve muscle mass and function in older adults, whereas their combination may be more effective than either alone.

Objective: The impact of LEU-PRO supplementation alone and combined with LC n-3 PUFAs on appendicular lean mass, strength, physical performance and myofibrillar protein synthesis (MyoPS) was investigated in older adults at risk of sarcopenia.

Methods: This 24-wk, 3-arm parallel, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted in 107 men and women aged ≥65 y with low muscle mass and/or strength.

Associations between Home Environment, Children's and Parents' Characteristics and Children's TV Screen Time Behavior.

In Ireland, television (TV) screen time is a highly prevalent sedentary behavior among children aged less than five years. Little is known about the influence of parental rules and policies or screen time availability and accessibility within the home on children's TV screen time behaviors. This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the extent to which parents' sociodemographic and sedentary behaviors are associated with children's TV screen time; and to determine the associations between parents' rules and practices, home physical environment and children's daily TV viewing.

Adherence to dietary and physical activity guidelines among shift workers: associations with individual and work-related factors.

Objectives: Shift work is associated with adverse effects on the health and lifestyle behaviours of employees. This study aimed to examine factors associated with adherence among shift workers to selected indicators of dietary and physical activity guidelines.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 1300 shift workers.

Characteristics and determinants of high volume dispensing in long-term oral nutritional supplement users in primary care: a secondary analysis.

Background: Oral nutritional supplements (ONS) are recommended for patients who are malnourished or at risk of malnutrition. Appropriate ONS prescribing requires regular monitoring to assess its continued requirement. Previous research identified long-term ONS prescriptions (>6 months) without review, with 70% of these influenced by social factors.

An investigation of community-dwelling older adults' opinions about their nutritional needs and risk of malnutrition; a scoping review.

Background & Aims: Understanding how older adults perceive their nutritional needs and malnutrition risk is important to inform strategies to improve prevention and management of the condition. This scoping review aimed to identify, characterize and summarize the findings from studies analysing community-dwelling older adults' opinions and perceptions towards their nutritional needs and malnutrition risk.

Methods: An electronic literature search was carried out using three databases, Pubmed, Embase, and CINAHL up to January 2020.

The Impact of Protein Supplementation on Appetite and Energy Intake in Healthy Older Adults: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis.

Protein supplementation is an attractive strategy to prevent loss of muscle mass in older adults. However, it could be counterproductive due to adverse effects on appetite. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to determine the effects of protein supplementation on appetite and/or energy intake (EI) in healthy older adults.