A Study Of The Food Service In A Community Hospital

Author : Louis Brian Raison
Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 147 pages
Book Rating : 4.:/5 (99 download)

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Download or read book Local Foods in Ohio Hospitals written by Louis Brian Raison and published by . This book was released on 2014 with total page 147 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Hospitals and healthcare services comprise a significant segment of the U.S. economy. Their implicit mission of improving overall health positions them as key leaders in initiating conversations around food. The American Medical Association notes that a large predictor of hospital patient and general public health is the quantity and quality of food intake. Hence, a hospital's stance on food (both delivery of and communication about) is of critical importance to positively affect patient, employee, and community health. As standard institutionalized foodservice evolves, some hospitals have introduced local foods as a means of improving health and wellness. Hospitals engaged in local foods procurement have: helped circulate more dollars in the local economy; provided fresher, healthier foods picked at the height of ripeness with higher nutritional values; stimulated hospital staff and patient awareness of and interest in healthy, nutritious eating via local foods (know your farmer programs); and increased positive community relations and media exposure. However, investigation into the hospital foodservice literature leaves it unclear as to what percentage of hospitals actually participate in procuring, serving, or promoting local foods to patients and employees. This may indicate a significant opportunity. The purpose of this study was to investigate what factors (independent variables) contributed to hospital foodservice directors (FSDs) purchasing or not purchasing local foods for their operations. A census of Ohio hospital FSDs (population frame n = 155) was undertaken in which 67.8% responded. The broad research questions asked about how much knowledge Ohio hospital FSDs had of the local food movement, to what extent they currently used local foods (or had interest in purchasing local foods in the future), what systemic issues advanced or impeded their use of local foods, and what relationships existed between demographic variables and the use of local foods. The study also explored to what extent Ohio hospital FSDs had awareness of Extension, or interest in participating in programs on local foods. Overall, findings suggested that the majority (approximately three-fourths of the respondents) had knowledge of and interest in the local food movement. However, only 57.7% were currently using local foods in their operations; and even fewer were implementing local food-related programs (hospital gardens, know your farmer, local food seminars, composting). The major reasons for not incorporating local foods into operations were based on concerns over inconsistent supply levels, liability insurance, refrigeration, and other food safety issues. Lastly, the findings showed that FSDs do not have a broad awareness of Extension or its ability to offer programs and solutions to these issues. FSDs were, however, interested in programming to learn more about how to incorporate local foods into their operations. Though not generalizable, these findings can help Extension workers at Land Grant universities nationwide identify intersections at which they may begin new, or expand existing programming around local foods in the health care arena. In addition, these findings provide insight into how to help hospitals, local farmers, and food production/distribution operations coalesce in triple bottom line results that deliver positive social, environmental, and economic outcomes.