Using the FoodEx-LTC to assess institutional food service practices through nursing home residents' perspectives on nutrition care

Background. Undernutrition occurs in approximately 2 of every 5 nursing home residents, negatively influencing their health and quality of life. The purposes of this study were to collect data about institutional meal preparation and food service practices that promote or retard adequate nutritional intake and to evaluate residents' food and food service satisfaction. Methods. The FoodEx-LTC, a simple, 44-item, 5-subscale questionnaire that measures food and food service satisfaction, was administered to 61 residents. Serum albumin and body mass index gauged the nutritional status of each resident. SPSS for Windows, version 10, was used for analyses. Results. Overall, 89% of residents were satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the food service. Of those who ate in the dining room, 44% had to wait to go back to their rooms, presenting a quality of life issue. Fifty-two percent received food they hated, 56% often received the same food, and 59% received food always cooked the same way. Most residents (75%) felt comfortable refusing food they did not like, but 65% did not complain. Most (79%) wanted to choose what to eat, but only 54% believed that choosing when to eat was important. Conclusions. The FoodEx-LTC, used to monitor nutrition care in nursing homes, incorporates residents' views into service delivery and responds to the Health Care Finance Administration's Nutritional and Hydration Awareness Campaign, part of the federal Nursing Home Initiative. Using the FoodEx-LTC to identify residents' perspectives may promote resident satisfaction and dietary intake through adaptation of nursing home food and food service practices.