WP 5.2Spoke 05

Define needs to promote food security and sustainable in different age ranges

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Highlights

Research projects
Outputs
Focused on promoting healthy diets, food security and sustainability in different age ranges, Work Package 5.2 aims to ensure that people of any age have equal access to adequate nutrition essential for their health and well-being. 

The primary objective of the package is to verify the adequacy of the nourishment of older adults involving senior membership circles (i.e., church circles, sports circles) and elderly care homes to investigate particular risk factors that may affect nutrition among older adults. The goal is to evaluate and harmonise existing nutritional protocols and raise awareness among older people and their caregivers. 

A further responsibility of WP 5.2 involves assessing the energy needs of adults and senior citizens while evaluating the validity of different predictive equations used to estimate resting energy expenditure or a gold standard, such as wearable metabolic technology or indirect calorimetry combined with accelerometry, in these population groups.

Defining protein requirements changes with advancing age is also central to the package’s tasks. The nutritional characteristics of unconventional protein sources, such as grains, pseudo-grains, pulses, algae, and fungi, will be specifically examined to understand better how protein needs change as people age. New protocols/surveys for evaluating the nutritional status across life stages with attention to maternal-infant dyad in the first 1000 days, adult population, including physically active people and athletes, and free-living older adults, will also be provided. 

The Work Package 5.2 further involves collecting and harmonising existing guidelines and position papers which consider the nutritional and lifestyle factors, the intra/inter-individual variables and the environmental exposures affecting health promotion across different life stages.

The final task of the package includes education and training activities delivered at different levels in connection with Spoke 7 “Policy, Behaviour and Education” to promote models for healthy nutritional schemes addressing academics, healthcare professionals, industries, and the general population. 

Task and deliverables

Task 5.2.1.

Verify the adequacy of nutrition in the elderly. Investigation on specific elements of risk on elderly nutrition starting collaboration with senior membership circles (i.e., church circles, sport circles) and elderly care homes.

Task 5.2.2.

Assessment of energy requirements in adults and elderly and evaluation of the validity of different predictive equations used to estimate resting energy expenditure vs. a gold standard (wearable metabolic technology, indirect calorimetry combined with accelerometry) in adults and elderly population.

Task 5.2.3.

Definition of protein requirements changes with advancing age (in adults and elderly subjects) and analysis of nutritional characteristics of unconventional protein sources (e.g., grains, pseudo-grains, pulses, algae, fungi) in connection with Spoke 3, 4 and 6.

Task 5.2.4.

Collection and harmonisation of existing guidelines and position papers taking into consideration the nutritional and lifestyle aspects as well as the intra/inter-individual variables and the environmental exposures affecting health promotion across life stages, with attention to maternal-infant dyad in the "first 1000 days", adult population (including physically active people and athletes) and free-living older adults.

Task 5.2.5.

Definition of new protocols/surveys for the evaluation of the nutritional status across life stages, with attention to maternal-infant dyad in the "first 1000 days"; b) adult population (including physically active people and athletes); and free-living older adults.

Task 5.2.6.

Education and training at different levels for i) academic; ii) healthcare professionals; iii) industries; iv) general population to promote models for healthy nutritional schemes (in connection with Spoke 7).

Milestones

M5.2.1.

Identification of cohort studies (M6)

M5.2.2.

Acquisition of Italian policies, services, and good practices for health promotion during lifespan (milestone shared with spoke 7) (M18)