1.1 Identify factors that can affect an individual’s nutritional intake

This guide will help you answer 1.1 Identify factors that can affect an individual’s nutritional intake.

Nutrition is about the food and drink a person consumes and how that impacts health and wellbeing. Many factors influence what and how much someone eats or drinks. These factors can be physical, psychological, social, cultural and environmental. Understanding these helps health and social care workers support people more effectively.

This guide covers the different factors that can affect an individual’s nutritional intake. It considers how each factor might impact daily eating habits and overall nutritional balance.

Physical Health Conditions

Physical health often plays a major role in nutrition. Certain illnesses affect appetite, digestion, absorption or ability to eat.

Examples include:

• Dental problems such as missing teeth, gum disease or ill-fitting dentures. These can make chewing food painful or difficult.
• Gastrointestinal disorders like irritable bowel syndrome, Crohn’s disease or ulcerative colitis. These can cause pain, diarrhoea or difficulty absorbing nutrients.
• Swallowing difficulties (dysphagia) often linked to stroke, neurological conditions or throat issues. These may require modified diets such as pureed food or thickened liquids.
• Chronic illnesses such as cancer, diabetes or kidney disease. Some treatments or symptoms change appetite or dietary needs.
• Obesity or underweight can affect motivation for eating. Some may reduce food intake to lose weight, while others may overeat.

Pain, fatigue or reduced mobility can also affect the ability to prepare meals. People with arthritis may struggle to chop ingredients or lift pans. This creates barriers to consuming a wide variety of foods.

Mental Health and Emotional Wellbeing

Mental health can strongly influence diet. Low mood, anxiety or other conditions might reduce interest in eating or lead to unhealthy food choices.

Relevant factors include:

• Depression can reduce appetite and cause weight loss, or lead to comfort eating and weight gain.
• Stress or anxiety may make a person forget meals or grab quick snacks that are high in fat and sugar.
• Eating disorders such as anorexia, bulimia or binge eating disorder directly impact nutritional intake and balance.
• Cognitive decline seen in dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. People may forget to eat, lose awareness of hunger cues or have difficulty recognising foods.

Support may involve regular prompts, meal preparation help or creating a calm eating environment.

Medication and Medical Treatments

Certain medications affect appetite, digestion or taste.

For example:

• Painkillers and antibiotics can cause nausea.
• Chemotherapy often leads to taste changes, mouth sores and reduced appetite.
• Long-term steroids can increase appetite, leading to weight gain.
• Diuretics may cause dehydration, affecting how someone feels about eating.

Medical treatments may also restrict what someone can eat. Dialysis patients may have controlled protein or fluid intake. Post-surgery patients might require temporary special diets.

Age and Developmental Stage

Nutritional needs and abilities change with age.

Children need foods that support growth and development. They may be selective eaters, limiting intake of certain food groups. Older adults may face reduced appetite, difficulty chewing or swallowing, and changes in taste perception. They may need foods rich in vitamins and minerals such as calcium and vitamin D to support bone health.

Teenagers often eat more due to growth and activity, but peer influence may encourage unhealthy choices.

Culture and Religion

Culture influences food preferences, cooking methods and mealtimes. Religious beliefs may involve dietary rules such as avoiding pork, fasting during certain times, or not mixing meat and dairy.

Examples include:

• Halal or kosher diets.
• Vegetarianism linked to ethics or religious practice.
• Food customs linked to celebrations or rituals.

These may limit certain nutritional sources and require planning to maintain balance. Respecting these choices builds trust and supports individual dignity.

Economic Factors

Money affects the ability to buy varied and nutritious food. Low income may limit access to fresh produce, lean meats or speciality items. Some may rely on cheaper, processed foods which often contain high levels of salt, fat and sugar.

Economic challenges may also influence cooking facilities. People without access to a well-equipped kitchen or storage may depend on convenience foods. Access to affordable shops and markets may be restricted by transport issues.

Education and Nutritional Knowledge

Understanding of nutrition varies widely. Some people know how to create balanced meals, others may not recognise the importance of certain food groups. Lack of knowledge can lead to poor choices such as skipping vegetables or eating excessive amounts of processed food.

Education can be linked to upbringing, schooling or health campaigns. Practical skills like reading food labels or cooking from fresh ingredients help improve choices.

Social Situations and Relationships

Eating habits often link to social interaction. People may eat more in company, while isolation can reduce appetite. Social norms influence when and how eating takes place.

Factors include:

• Living alone. Meals may feel less appealing without company.
• Peer pressure. Friends or family may encourage certain eating habits.
• Family influence. Meal choices from childhood often carry into adulthood.
• Eating in groups may help some eat better but can cause anxiety for others.

Support could include social activities focused on shared meals to encourage better intake.

Physical Environment

The eating environment matters. Lighting, noise and comfort all affect food enjoyment. Hospitals or care homes may have restricted choices or fixed schedules. Certain environments may lack appeal, reducing desire to eat.

Temperature can impact appetite. Very hot weather may reduce food consumption, while cold can increase intake of warm, calorie-rich foods.

Access to Food and Drink

Access can be affected by transport, mobility, shopping facilities and government or community support.

Common barriers:

• Limited transport to shops.
• Rural areas with fewer food outlets.
• Disability making carrying shopping difficult.
• Reliance on carers for meal provision.

Limited access often leads to reduced variety and potential nutritional gaps.

Taste and Appetite Changes

Taste changes can result from illness, age or medication. Food may seem bland or unpleasant. Appetite changes can be long-term or temporary.

Smell plays a role in taste perception. Loss of smell reduces enjoyment of food, which can lead to reduced intake.

Food Allergies and Intolerances

Allergies to foods like nuts, shellfish or eggs can remove certain nutritional sources. Intolerances, for example lactose intolerance, may prevent intake of dairy products. Replacement options must be found to meet nutritional needs.

Some people avoid foods without full medical testing, which may cause unnecessary restrictions.

Mobility and Physical Ability

Physical ability affects shopping, cooking and feeding. People with limited movement may depend on carers. Weak grip, tremors or fatigue can make eating more difficult without adapted utensils.

This can lead to smaller meals or skipping them entirely.

Communication Barriers

Where a person cannot express preferences or needs, nutritional intake can suffer. This could be due to speech impairment, language barriers or cognitive issues.

Support includes using communication aids, visual prompts or involving family members to understand likes and dislikes.

Food Preparation Skills

Not everyone has learned to cook or prepare food safely. Lack of skills can lead to reliance on ready-made meals. This impacts nutritional quality. Teaching basic cooking skills can improve diet and independence.

Seasonal Factors

Seasonal availability changes food options. Fresh fruit and vegetables may be more expensive or less available in certain months. This can limit variety.

Personal Preferences

Taste preference shapes what people choose. Dislike of certain textures, colours or smells may remove food types from the diet.

Some prefer sweet foods, others savoury. Too many preferred items can lead to imbalance if variety is reduced.

Impact of Substance Use

Alcohol and recreational drugs can affect nutritional intake. Alcohol may replace meals, reduce nutrient absorption and damage the digestive system. Some drugs suppress appetite; others encourage overeating.

Final Thoughts

Nutritional intake is influenced by a wide range of factors. No single cause explains poor diet or overconsumption. In practice, several different influences often work together for each individual. Health and social care workers need to take a full view of the person’s physical health, mental wellbeing, social circumstances and personal preferences.

By recognising these influences, workers can support individuals to make better choices and overcome barriers. This might include adjusting meal plans, providing education, working with family or carers, or making changes to the eating environment. Good nutritional support can improve health outcomes, quality of life and independence.