title: Interventions for improving mealtime experiences in long-term care.
abstract: Poor food intake in residents living in long-term care (LTC) homes is a common problem. The mealtime experience is known to be important in the multifactorial causes of food intake. Diverse interventions have been developed, implemented, and/or evaluated to improve the mealtime experience in LTC; it is possible that multicomponent interventions will have a greater benefit than single activities. To identify the range of feasible and potentially useful interventions for including in a multicomponent intervention, this scoping review identified and summarized 58 studies that described and/or evaluated mealtime experience interventions. There were several randomized controlled trials, although most studies used less rigorous methods. Interventions that are multicomponent (e.g., food service, dining environment, staff education) and target multilevel factors (e.g., residents, staff) in LTC appear to be feasible, with a variety of outcomes measured. Further research is still needed with more rigorously designed studies, confirming effectiveness, feasible implementation, and scaling up of efficacious interventions.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Kinesiology , University of Waterloo , Waterloo , Ontario , Canada.
authors.forename: Vanessa
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Vucea
authors.forename: Heather H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ducak
mesh_terms: D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000375:Aging; D002149:Energy Intake; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005522:Food Services; D006707:Homes for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008134:Long-Term Care; D044342:Malnutrition / Q000517:prevention & control*; D062407:Meals; D009735:Nursing Homes; D011788:Quality of Life; D012944:Social Support
keywords: food intake; interventions; long-term care; mealtimes; quality of life