Associations Between Plate Waste, Food Experience and Meal Quality in a Hospital Inpatient Setting: An Exploratory...

Given the limited literature internationally, this cross-sectional study explored associations between inpatient plate waste, food experience and meal quality.

Eligible participants were adult inpatients ( $\ge$  18 years) ordering the same meal as the scheduled test meal. The Meal Quality Audit Tool (MQAT) assessed the temperature and sensory quality of the test meal, the Hospital Food Experience Questionnaire (HFEQ) assessed patient meal experience and plate waste was visually estimated. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with plate waste. Chi-squared or nonparametric t-tests were used to compare MQAT data with patient, audit and HFEQ data.

Eligible participants (n = 187) were (mean ± SD) 59 ± 21 years, 51% female, 73% hospital stay of < 1 week and 57% had data collected at lunch. Across 41 test meals audited, temperature was the only MQAT element not meeting targets. Most patients (68%, n = 120/176) had 0% or 25% plate waste and a median (IQR) HFEQ score of 91 (82-98). For every 1-point increase in patient food experience score, the odds of achieving lower plate waste (≤ 25% plate waste) increased by 5% (OR 0.953, p < 0.05). When temperatures of matched test meals met temperature targets, the odds of lower plate waste (≤ 25% plate waste) increased by 82% (OR 0.183, p < 0.01). Sensory meal quality was not associated with plate waste or food experience (p > 0.05).

Lower plate waste (≤ 25% plate waste) was associated with higher patient food experience and meal temperatures meeting temperature targets. However larger, multicentre studies involving diverse patient groups are required to confirm these relationships.