HN-00740042_Food Waste in Qaem and Imam Reza Hospitals in Mashhad, Iran

Introduction: Poor nutritional status of hospitalized patients is associated with increased morbidity and mortality rates. An appropriate nutritional status during hospital stay plays a pivotal role in patient treatment. Food waste is a growing concern contributing to malnutrition. The aim of this study was to measure the volume of food waste in Qaem and Imam Reza Hospitals in Mashhad, Iran.Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted during one week in Imam Reza and Qaem Hospitals of Mashhad in 2016. Research population included 425 patients in the selected wards of the hospitals. Participants were selected non-randomly from the hospitalized patients. Rate of food waste was measured at lunchtime, using the food residual observational checklist. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 16. Independent samples t-test was used for comparison of food waste between the main course and appetizer. Crosstab and Chi-square were applied to compare the main course and appetizer waste based on gender, hospital, and ward.Results: Totally, 13.9% of patients left their food in the plate entirely. Food waste in the appetizer was significantly higher than the main course (P<0.001). Moreover, the number of the patients who entirely left their food was lower in Qaem Hospital compared to Imam Reza Hospital (27.84% versus 22%) (P=0.003). Food waste was significantly higher in the cardiac ward in comparison to other wards (P=0.006).Conclusion: Food waste varied in different hospitals and wards, therefore serving meals based on wards and patient requirements could be an effective solution to decrease food waste and malnutrition.

Keywords:

Food Waste , Main Course Waste , Appetizer Waste , Hospital