ArticleBMC geriatrics2017
Exploring residents' experiences of mealtimes in care homes: A qualitative interview study.
Article in BMC geriatrics, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 19 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
19 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Measuring Food Service Satisfaction amongst Residents Living in Nursing Homes-A New and Valid Person-Centered Approach.Nutrients · 2023Pooled it
- How do we provide good mealtime care for people with dementia living in care homes? A systematic review of carer-resident interactions.Dementia (London, England) · 2021Pooled it
- Trial
- Association between Swallowing Disorders and Independence during Mealtime in Neurological Diseases: A Cross-sectional Study.International archives of otorhinolaryngology · 2026Article
- Food waste in residential aged care: A scoping review.Nutrition & dietetics : the journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia · 2026Review
- Exploring and understanding perceptions and definitions of foodservice quality in residential aged care: A scoping review.Nutrition & dietetics : the journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia · 2026Review
- Plant-based diets for older adults in care homes: a realist synthesis.BMC geriatrics · 2026Review
- Look at me! An exploratory study of supported eating interactions in long-term neurological care.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2025Article
- Mealtime situations in nursing homes from the residents' perspective - an integrative review.BMC geriatrics · 2025Review
- Eating Together but Often Feeling Lonely: Residents' Mealtime Experiences in a Nursing Home.Journal of clinical nursing · 2025Article
- Identifying barriers and facilitators to the inclusion of older adults living in UK care homes in research: a scoping review.BMC geriatrics · 2023Article
- Exploring resident experiences of person-centred care at mealtimes in long-term residential care: a rapid ethnography.BMC geriatrics · 2022Article
- How are the mealtime experiences of people in residential aged care facilities informed by policy and best practice guidelines? A scoping review.BMC geriatrics · 2022Article
- Exploring Meal Provision and Mealtime Challenges for Aged Care Residents Consuming Texture-Modified Diets: A Mixed Methods Study.Geriatrics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Predictors of incident malnutrition-a nutritionDay analysis in 11,923 nursing home residents.European journal of clinical nutrition · 2022Article
- "The Good, The Bad, and the Minimum Tolerable": Exploring Expectations of Institutional Food.Foods (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Effects of Dining-focused Life Enhancement Program in Welfare Facilities for Seniors in Japan.Asian/Pacific Island nursing journal · 2020Article
- Article
- Feasibility of DAIly NURSE: A nursing intervention to change nursing staff behaviour towards encouraging residents' daily activities and independence in the nursing home.Journal of clinical nursing · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMany interventions aim to alleviate well-documented problems of malnutrition in residential care homes and improve residents' health and wellbeing. Despite some positive findings, little is known about how and why mealtime interventions might be effective, and in particular, what effects residents' experiences of mealtimes have on health outcomes. The aim of this study was to gain an insight into these experiences and explore some of the issues that may impact on residents' enjoyment of meals, and resulting health and wellbeing.
methodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven residents from four care homes in the South West UK. Thematic analysis was used to derive content and meaning from transcribed interviews. Interviews were supplemented by researcher observations of mealtimes.
resultsThe dining experience was a focal point for participants' broader experiences of residing in a care home. Three themes pertaining to residents' experiences were identified: (1) Emotional and psychological connections with other residents; (2) managing competing interests with limited resources; and (3) familiarity and routine.
conclusionMealtimes are a mainstay of life in a care home through which residents' experiences are characterised, exemplified and magnified. Understanding how residents interact with one another, accommodating their preferences and encouraging autonomy may enhance their mealtime experiences. It may also help to ease the transition from independent-living to life in care, which can be particularly stressful for some residents, and improve health and wellbeing over the long-term.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.