Abstract
<jats:p>There are a wide range of environmental, social and psychological factors that potentially influence food intake and nutritional status. Environmental factors include home environment, and locality. Social factors include economic backgrounds, culture, family, friends, education, skills and abilities. Social factors can profoundly influence dietary intake and need careful assessment. Employing tactful observation and questioning to understand a person's social factors is imperative to ensure their equitable treatment regardless of social status or cultural background. Psychological factors include mental health conditions, eating disorders, depression, confusion, memory loss, severe or chronic pain, anxiety and social media influences. Exploring psychological factors that intricately influence food choice is a key part of nutritional assessment. It is also necessary to recognise that psychological factors are highly individual and can impact on nutrient intake by influencing both the quantity of food eaten and the quality of food consumed.</jats:p>