title: In-hospital weight loss, prescribed diet and food acceptance.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Weight loss and malnutrition may be caused by many factors, including type of disease and treatment.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The present study investigated the occurrence of in-hospital weight loss and related factors.
  
  
  METHODS
  This cross-sectional study investigated the following variables of 456 hospitalized patients: gender, age, disease, weight variation during hospital stay, and type and acceptance of the prescribed diet. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for comparing patients' weight in the first three days in hospital stay and determining which factors affect weight. The generalized estimating equation was used for comparing the food acceptance rates. The significance level was set at 5%.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most prescribed diet was the regular (28.8%) and 45.5% of the patients lost weight during their stay. Acceptance of hospital food increased from the first to the third days of stay (p=0.0022) but weight loss was still significant (p<0.0001). Age and type of prescribed diet did not affect weight loss during the study period but type of disease and gender did. Patients with neoplasms (p=0.0052) and males (p=0.0002) lost more weight.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Weight loss during hospital stay was associated only with gender and type of disease.
authors: School of Nutrition.
authors: Vania Aparecida
authors: VA
authors: Leandro-Merhi
authors: School of Nutrition.
authors: Silvana Mariana
authors: SM
authors: Srebernich
authors: School of Pharmaceutical Sciences.
authors: Gisele Mara Silva
authors: GM
authors: Gonçalves
authors: School of Medicine, Pontifical Catholic University of Campinas, SP, Brazil.
authors: José Luiz Braga
authors: JL
authors: de Aquino
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004038:Diet, Reducing; D005260:Female; D005518:Food Preferences; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010349:Patient Compliance; D015431:Weight Loss