Nutritional Wellbeing
Overview of the research being conducted with our partners
This 5-year partnership has resulted in the research team being awarded a 2016 tender to develop National Meal Guidelines for the Commonwealth Home Support Programme.
The Guidelines are the first nationally consistent approach to nutrition, menu planning and meal presentation for home delivered meals and center based meals for older Australians.
They were launched at Parliament House by the Hon. Minister for Aged Care and Indigenous Health, Ken Wyatt on February 15th 2017.
National Meal Guidelines
The guidelines can be found by clicking the button below.
This partnership began with local Meals on Wheel (MOW) organisations and was supported through three UOW Community Engagement grants. Together with MOW managers, the team conducted both qualitative and quantitative research to better understand the needs, experiences and dietary intakes of their customers.
This has led to new initiatives being piloted such as in-home screening for malnutrition status, provision of snack packs and breakfast packs, meal fortification and mini-meal alternatives. The team have also been invited key speakers at national and regional MOW conferences and have regularly presented at the national Dietitians Association of Australia annual conference. Key outcomes were also presented at the International Congress of Nutrition and Dietetics in Sydney in 2012.
Other organisations that work with MOW have been included in Nutrition and Dietetics Honours and Masters student projects, including Flagstaff Fine Foods and IRT. These opportunities enable students to understand the value of community-based services for older adults and the importance of research and innovation.
This work continued with a 2014 Home and Community Care (HACC) grant being awarded to Kiama MOW. Our team provided training on the validated Mini Nutritional Assessment – Short Form tool (a validated six item tool for community living older adults) and a model of care, as well as assistance with evaluation, including the analysis of the outcomes over the last 3 years.
Outcomes were presented at the International Congress of Nutrition and Dietetics in Spain in 2016. This partnership was awarded the UOW Vice Chancellor’s Team Award for Excellence in Community Engagement in 2014.
Dietitians' Dementia Care Case Studies
Download the Dietitians' Dementia Care Case Studies document.
Meals on Wheels Research Partners
Names of research partner and how the partnership began
- Australian Meals on Wheels Association (AMOWA)
- Northern Illawarra Meals on Wheels (MoW)
- Kiama Meals MOW
- Wollongong MOW
- Camden MOW
Names of UOW researchers involved in the partnership
- Associate Professor Karen Walton
- Associate Professor Karen Charlton
- Dr Anne McMahon
Other contributors:
- Dr Siobhan McHugh
- Professor Victoria Traynor
- Professor Peter Williams
- Professor Linda Tapsell
Future potential of the research partnership
The partnership is ongoing, with current work to further develop and evaluate novel interventions to enhance dietary intakes, and evaluation of the National Meals Guidelines. Please contact us for more information or expressing interest in collaborations.
Sign up to our mailing list: