Assessment of the level of satisfaction with the organization of nutrition of military personnel during rehabilitation treatment

Abstract

Introduction. Rehabilitation treatment is one of the key stages of health care delivery, aimed at restoring or improving physical, cognitive, and functional abilities after injury, illness, or surgical interventions. International clinical guidelines clearly regulate the need for nutritional screening of all hospitalized patients, followed by risk assessment and dietary correction in accordance with the patient’s clinical condition. Assessment of satisfaction with the organization of nutrition is an important indicator of the quality of nutritional support, as it makes it possible to identify discrepancies between regulatory requirements and actual food practices. The relevance of this study is determined by the need to improve food quality and to adapt menus to the actual needs of military personnel undergoing inpatient rehabilitation. Purpose. To assess the level of satisfaction of military personnel with the organization of food during rehabilitation treatment and to determine the factors affecting eating habits, the feeling of satiety, and the overall assessment of diet quality. Materials and methods. The study was conducted within the framework of a planned research project of the Ukrainian Military Medical Academy using an anonymous survey of servicemen undergoing rehabilitation at a military medical rehabilitation center. The questionnaire included items on satisfaction with food organization, quality and variety of dishes, and suggestions for menu improvement. Percentage distributions, Student’s t-test, and Spearman’s correlation coefficient (p<0.05) were used for statistical analysis. A total of 92 male servicemen aged 19–62 years participated in the study. Results. More than 80.0% of the surveyed military personnel positively assessed the sanitary condition of dining facilities, timeliness of service, portion sizes, and freshness of food products, whereas only 48.9% of respondents positively assessed the variety of dishes. At the same time, the majority of respondents (72.0%) skipped one or more main meals, most often breakfast. In addition, 46.7% did not consume all served meals, and 80.4% additionally consumed food purchased at their own expense between main meals. The main suggestions for improving the diet concerned increasing the amount of fruits, vegetables, berries, fish products, and juices. Correlation analysis revealed statistically significant associations between skipping breakfast and assortment score (rS=0.29; p<0.01), between meal frequency and the desire to change portion sizes (rS=0.31; p<0.006), and between assortment score and the desire to review menus (rS=0.56; p<0.001). Associations were also found between feelings of heaviness/abdominal pain and the desire to reduce portion sizes (rS=0.34; p<0.002). Conclusions. The obtained results demonstrated the need to improve the nutritional support of rehabilitants by expanding the range of dishes, updating menus, optimizing portion sizes, and adapting nutrition to individual needs taking into account the energy expenditure of military personnel.