All individuals, healthy, sick, young and old, are entitled to receive an adequate supply of nutrients tailored to the individual and his or her condition. Malnutrition is defined as a state of imbalance between intake and metabolisation of nutrients which poses an increased risk of ill health.
Malnutrition is common within the Swedish health service.
Malnutrition usually occurs as a result of often interacting medical, psychological and socio-economic factors. It is often influenced by a lack of food intake and increased metabolisation of the body's reserves, breaking them down. In order to reduce the incidence of malnutrition, the first priority must be to establish preventive measures. Primary prevention entails preventing the occurrence of malnutrition. Secondary prevention means discovering malnutrition early through clinical screening in order to shorten the illness or prevent a relapse by treating the malnutrition.