The importance of patient foodservice satisfactionThe health care industry is becoming increasingly focussed on quality improvement to meet patients' heightened demands for service excellence (Drain 2001). Patient satisfaction measurement is viewed as important in outcomes research and quality improvement efforts, as it provides a formal opportunity for feedback and demonstrates to patients that their opinions are valued by health professionals. Administrators and auditors of health care services are continuously seeking patient-reported outcomes to obtain indications of quality of care and the organisation of services. Meeting and exceeding patient expectations is essential for the provision of quality services. Food and the manner in which it is served often influences patient satisfaction with the entire hospital experience (Gregoire 1994). Establishing predictors of hospital foodservice satisfaction will assist in styling food and its service to meet patient expectations, thus influencing overall patient satisfaction with the hospital stay. A valid and reliable questionnaire is the first step towards understanding the link between patient satisfaction and expectations. The questionnairesThe Parkside Inpatient Questionnaire (PIQ) contains items rated on a five-point Likert scale from "very poor" to "very good", focussing on the patient's experience during their hospital stay. The section used as part of this study comprised overall ratings for foodservice and additional ratings for courtesy of foodservice staff, flavour and temperature of the food, menu choice and timeliness of meal delivery. Responses were scored from 1 to 5, with 1 representing the least positive response and 5 representing the most positive response.The Wesley Hospital Foodservice Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire (WHFPSQ) has 18 items rated on a fivepoint Likert scale from "always" to "never", an overall rating from "very good" to "very poor" and is specific to hospital foodservice. For comparative purposes, the scoring system for the WHFPSQ was made consistent with the PIQ, that is, 1 representing the least positive and 5 the most positive response for any individual item.

Ongoing dietary transitions in the Solomon Islands has resulted in an over-reliance on commercially sourced foods, leading to food insecurity, and a subsequent rise in multiple forms of malnutrition. The aim of this study was to investigate the individual dietary diversity and food preferences of the adult population living in Auki, Solomon Islands. A cross-sectional study involving 133 adults was undertaken in the Auki district via an interviewer-administered questionnaire. Individual dietary diversity scores (DDS) were determined based on the results of a 24-h recall method. Overall mean DDS was 7.27 (range 2–12). Females and participants who lived outside the Auki town center had significantly higher dietary diversity scores. Low consumption of a variety of nutritious foods within food groups and high consumption of energy dense processed foods, indicates that diet quality is likely limited in some of this population. Participants desire for a diverse diet including local foods suggests that current dietary diversity status in this population may be influenced by food security rather than food preference.

Aim:  To determine preferences for meals and snack of long‐stay patients and hospitalised patients with increased energy and protein requirements. Methods:  Using consistent methodology across two tertiary teaching hospitals, a convenience sample of adult public hospital inpatients with increased energy and protein requirements or longer stays (seven days or more) were interviewed regarding meal and snack preferences. Descriptive reporting of sample representativeness, preferred foods and frequency of meals and between meal snacks. Results:  Of 134 respondents, 55% reported a decreased appetite and 28% rated their appetite as ‘poor’. Most felt like eating either nothing (42%) or soup (15%) when unwell. The most desired foods were hot meal items, including eggs (31%), meat dishes (20%) and soup (69%). Of items not routinely available, soft drink (7.6%) and alcohol (6.7%) were most commonly desired during admission. Almost half (49%) reported difficulty opening packaged food and a majority (81%) indicated finger foods were easy to eat. Conclusion:  Appetites during admission were frequently lower than usual. Responses encourage consideration of eggs, meat dishes and soups for long‐stayers or those with high‐energy, high‐protein needs. Easy to consume but not routinely offered, between meal items, such as soup, juice, cake, soft drink or Milo could be explored further to enhance oral intakes.

The aim of this study was to investigate the food purchasing behaviors of an adult Solomon Islander population within a transitioning food system in Auki, Malaita. Food purchasing behavior measures included; venue type and transportation for purchasing food, previous day expenditure on food purchases, number of weekly shopping experiences for store foods (generally long-life shelf and frozen items) and fresh foods (such as fruits and vegetables and fresh fish) and the importance of factors (i.e., price) on purchasing decisions. One hundred and thirty-three adults (aged 18 to 74 years; female: 63%, males: 37%) completed an interviewer administered questionnaire during December 2018. Food items were primarily sourced from Auki markets (n = 70) and stores (n = 40). Food purchasing differed between fresh and semi-perishable foods (store food). Participants reported similar shopping experiences for store food and fresh food (M = 3.87 and M = 3.25 times a week, respectively) and spending between $1 and $200 (M = $56.12) Solomon Island dollars on food in the previous day. The most reported purchased item was white rice (n = 117, 88%), with taste, freshness and family preference the most important factors reported as influencing food purchasing choices. While our findings are from a small sample in Auki, further research could build upon this work by investigating food purchasing behaviors at other times of the year, and more widely in the Solomon Islands and greater Pacific region.

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