WASPEN Launches Malnutrition Awareness Week 2025, Calls for Urgent Action on Hospital Malnutrition

Esther Oluku

The West African Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (WASPEN) on Monday flagged off the 2025 edition of Malnutrition Awareness Week, urging greater recognition of hospital malnutrition as a public health crisis in Nigeria and across the region.

Speaking at the launch in Lagos, WASPEN President and Founder, Dr. Teresa Pounds, said this year’s theme, “United Against Malnutrition” , reflects the urgent need for collective action to tackle both community and hospital malnutrition.

“Hospital malnutrition is a silent epidemic that continues to undermine recovery, escalate healthcare costs, and worsen mortality—yet it remains poorly recognized and inadequately addressed,” Pounds said.

Globally, studies show that between 20 per cent and 50 per cent of hospitalized patients are malnourished. In Nigeria, preliminary data indicates rates as high as 30–45 per cent in tertiary hospitals, especially among surgical, paediatric, and oncology patients.

Pounds explained that research in Nasarawa State found that 41.2 per cent of hospitalized children under five were malnourished, while in Borno State, 4 per cent of admitted children had severe acute malnutrition (SAM).

Also, among elderly patients in Enugu, 71.3 per cent were malnourished, with only 6.6 per cent well-nourished.

“These malnourished patients often experience delayed wound healing, higher infection risks, prolonged hospital stays, and avoidable re-admissions. Yet, nutrition care rarely features in our national health strategies,” she said.

Community malnutrition remains equally troubling, with over 30 per cent of Nigerian children stunted and about seven per cent wasted. Pounds stressed that addressing only one side of the crisis is insufficient. “Malnutrition in the community and malnutrition in hospitals are two sides of the same coin. Progress on one without the other leaves the circle incomplete,” she said.

To fill data gaps, WASPEN is partnering with a Nigerian institutions to generate updated national evidence on hospital malnutrition, aimed at shaping stronger policies. Pounds noted that this aligns with the global campaign recognizing nutrition as a human right. “Nutrition is not a privilege for the few—it is the foundation of health, dignity, and recovery for all,” she emphasized.

This year marks the second Malnutrition Awareness Week in Nigeria. While seven institutions participated in 2024, the number has grown to 17 institutions across all six geopolitical zones, with Cameroon and Ghana joining for the first time.

The week-long campaign began with Monday’s press conference, continues Tuesday with a webinar on standardized clinical nutrition protocols, and on Thursday with another webinar on integrating nutrition care into national systems. Local activities will also take place across Nigeria and West Africa on Wednesday and Friday, turning advocacy into community-level action.

The initiative has also attracted international backing, with Dr. Phil Ayers and Dr. Albert Barrocas of the American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition (ASPEN) joining as guests, underscoring West Africa’s growing role in global nutrition care.

Pounds commended the Federal Ministry of Health and other partners for their ongoing fight against community malnutrition but called for equal focus on hospital nutrition. The Ministry’s Director of Nutrition, Mrs. Ladidi Bako-Aiyegbusi, mni, is expected to speak during one of the webinars, a move seen as a signal of government commitment.

“Commitment must translate into policy and action,” Pounds urged. “We call on Mr. President and national leaders to prioritize hospital nutrition within Nigeria’s healthcare strategies. Together, let us affirm that nutrition is a human right.”