Background:Foodservice is an important issue in hospital settings, and patients' levels of satisfaction are often indicated by consumption and plate waste. Objective: The current study compared patient satisfaction in hospital areas and other factors and determined the relationship between patient satisfaction and plate waste. Methods: This quantitative research was performed in four East Malaysian public hospitals. Patients at these hospitals were asked to complete a questionnaire which had three parts: A) general information, B) patient satisfaction questionnaire (Acute Care Hospital Foodservice Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire), and C) plate waste scale (Comstock 6-point scale). Results: A total of 189 patients participated. The results indicated that overall, 53.3%, 29.3%, 14.1%, 2.7%, and 0.5% of respondents rated the hospital foodservice as okay, good, poor, very good, and very poor, respectively. Average plate waste was 35% for all hospitals, and only 11% of patients finished all the food served. Satisfaction with hospital food differed according to the catering system (in-house and outsourced). However, the results also indicated that satisfaction with hospital foodservice was not significantly related to food wastage (r = -0.018, n = 189, P = 0.809). Conclusion: Various factors in hospital foodservice, especially food quality, should be improved to motivate patients to consume hospital food.

Background: One way to improve hospital food provision is certainly by understanding the management of hospital foodservices, but there is limited detailed information about staff roles in food provision in many hospitals around the world. Objective: The hospital meal experience of patients, a part of the services provided by hospitals, is becoming important. Therefore, the role of various hospital staff members was studied through their behavior, attitudes, and practices so as to understand how the foodservice system works to address patients' food consumption. Methods: This qualitative research used the convenient sampling method. Data was collected by interviewing twenty hospital employees with different job scopes (nurses, doctors, dietitians, foodservice managers, and directors of hospital foodservices) in 6 public hospitals. Results: Themes such as providing familiar food, food as the motivational factor for consumption, empathy shown by staff, and influences of the eating environment were identified using content analysis. Conclusion: The viewpoints and experiences of key stakeholders facilitated the understanding of various factors involved in the provision of hospital food which affect patients' decisions to accept and consume food.

This study was carried out to determine the influences of providing nutrition information on fast food restaurant menus, especially among Malaysian undergraduates, who often eat outside the campus during the semester. A validated questionnaire, adapted from previous studies was used to determine the general perception of nutrition information and nutrient intake when eating at fast food restaurants. A total of 185 undergraduates from three different schools participated -medical sciences (n=54, 29.2%), dentistry, (n=54, 29.2%), health sciences (n= 77, 41.6%) in a university. In general, the majority of the undergraduates ate fast food at least once a week (n= 105, 56.8%) and most of them preferred to eat outside on weekends (n=156, 84.3%). Majority perceived that it was important to provide nutrition information at fast food restaurant (n=183, 98.9%). The mean for calorie, fat and sodium composition of their food choices were significantly different between before and after providing nutrition information of food items that they intended to purchase (p<0.001). Student's intention to purchase definitely differed when they were well informed about the nutrition value of food.