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Purpose: Plate waste is the leftover amount of served food. High hospital plate waste is highly associated with malnourished-related complication especially among cancer patients. This study determined the prevalence of hospital plate waste and factors associated with plate waste (clinical and foodservice).
Methods: A sum of 231 cancer patients from National Cancer Institute were interviewed according to structured questionnaires. Plate waste was measured by digital weighing scale model TANITA KD400 and were recorded into food groups. Food groups were set according to the menu of the hospital.
Results: The results showed that the prevalence of plate waste was 53.9%. The food groups discarded by cancer patients were mostly side dish (71.3%), followed by protein (62.7%) and vegetables (53.1%). 55.1% of the patients with Oral Nutritional Support (ONS) intake had significantly (p=0.009) difference in plate waste at the mean of (521.30±291.01)g as compared to patients without ONS intake at mean of (425.07±250.72)g. From clinical factors, patients who experienced weight lost and early satiety due to side effects of treatment had the highest mean of plate waste, (536.84±284.86)g and (528.80±302.38)g respectively. Patients who experienced weight lost after receiving cancer treatment had statistically significant (p=0.003) difference in plate waste at mean of (536.84±284.86)g as compared to patients who did not experience weight lost after receiving treatment at mean of (425.21±265.57)g.
Conclusion: Effective strategies should be implemented in order to reduce plate waste among cancer patients, provided the dietitians acknowledged the factors behind that lead to food wastage such as food quality, portion size, food appearance and temperature and ONS intake.
Keywords : plate waste, cancer, factors of plate waste