ENHA: what is it and what does it do? Strategies to make malnutrition a key priority in EU health policy.

Abstract

In 2005, the European Nutrition for Health Alliance (ENHA, the Alliance) was established to raise awareness of the relevance and urgency of malnutrition and ensure that this important issue is included in policy discussions and appropriate action is taken by policymakers and stakeholders at EU and member state levels. Malnutrition remains under-recognized, under-detected and under-managed across Europe, 4 years after the publication of the Call to Action resolution issued by the Council of Europe in 2003, on food and nutritional care in hospitals. The goal of the ENHA is to implement policy changes in nutrition and health at government and healthcare organizational levels. The value of specific evidence-based medical interventions must be demonstrated.