Menu Variety Research Articles

Comparison of students' foodservice satisfaction between Korea and US

This study analyzes important factors of foodservice in school through comparison of students' satisfaction of using foodservice in Korea and US in order to meet students' expectations. The survey was composed of 4 categories including menu, service, hygiene, and facility and it was carried out in both countries to evaluate satisfaction. First, comparison of satisfaction between two countries was made using t-test. Secondly, multiple regression was performed to identify factors affecting satisfaction. As a result Korean students were more satisfied than American students in all aspects. However, regardless of nationality, the top three factors affecting the students' satisfaction were the same. The predictors were food taste (Korean 0.375 and American 0.350), menu variety (Korean 0.305 and American 0.278), and service line (Korean 0.226 and American 0.192). Despite the similarity of the predicators, it can be concluded that the difference in satisfaction level between the two nationscan be explained by the approaches to create comfortable and acceptable changes in schools' foodservice. Korea has been increasing the foodservice quality based on their objectives to provide students comfortable and positive environment when eating nutritious meals. However, US have made their main objectives on making changes to decrease youth obesity. Foodservice improvements according to continuous evaluations and surveys are necessary in order to increase students' satisfaction.

A pilot study of StopAdvisor: A theory-based interactive internet-based smoking cessation intervention aimed across the social spectrum

BackgroundThis article reports a pilot study of a new smoking cessation website (‘StopAdvisor’), which has been developed on the basis of PRIME theory, evidence, web-design expertise and user-testing. The aims were to i) evaluate whether cessation, website usage and satisfaction were sufficiently high to warrant a randomised controlled trial (RCT) and ii) assess whether outcomes were affected by socio-economic status. MethodsThis was an uncontrolled pilot study. Two hundred and four adult daily smokers willing to make a serious quit attempt were included. All participants received support from ‘StopAdvisor’, which recommends a structured quit plan and a variety of evidence-based behaviour change techniques for smoking cessation. A series of tunnelled sessions and a variety of interactive menus provide tailored support for up to a month before quitting through until one-month post-quit (http://www.lifeguideonline.org/player/play/stopadvisordemonstration). The primary outcome was self-report of at least 1month of continuous abstinence collected at 2months post-enrolment and verified by saliva cotinine or anabasine. Usage was indexed by log-ins and page views. Satisfaction was assessed by dichotomous ratings of helpfulness, personal relevance, likelihood of recommendation and future use, which were collected using an online questionnaire at 2months post-enrolment. Outcomes according to socio-economic status were assessed. ResultsAt 8weeks post-enrolment, 19.6% (40/204) of participants were abstinent according to the primary outcome criteria (95% C.I.=14.1% to 25.1%). Participants viewed a mean of 133.5 pages (median=71.5) during 6.4 log-ins (median=3). A majority of respondents rated the website positively on each of the four satisfaction `ratings (range=66.7% to 75.3%). There was no evidence of an effect of socio-economic status on abstinence (OR=1.01, C.I.=0.50–2.07), usage (page-views, t(202)=0.11, p=.91; log-ins, t(202)=0.21, p=.83), or satisfaction (helpfulness, OR=1.09, C.I.=0.41–2.88; personal relevance, OR=0.55, C.I.=0.20–1.56; recommendation, OR=0.98, C.I.=0.34–2.81; use in future, OR=1.45, C.I.=0.49–4.27). ConclusionsThe systematic application of theory, evidence, web-design expertise, and user-testing has resulted in a website that shows sufficiently promising efficacy and usability to warrant evaluation in a RCT. The website appears to be similarly effective and acceptable to users across the social spectrum.

METAGENassist: a comprehensive web server for comparative metagenomics

With recent improvements in DNA sequencing and sample extraction techniques, the quantity and quality of metagenomic data are now growing exponentially. This abundance of richly annotated metagenomic data and bacterial census information has spawned a new branch of microbiology called comparative metagenomics. Comparative metagenomics involves the comparison of bacterial populations between different environmental samples, different culture conditions or different microbial hosts. However, in order to do comparative metagenomics, one typically requires a sophisticated knowledge of multivariate statistics and/or advanced software programming skills. To make comparative metagenomics more accessible to microbiologists, we have developed a freely accessible, easy-to-use web server for comparative metagenomic analysis called METAGENassist. Users can upload their bacterial census data from a wide variety of common formats, using either amplified 16S rRNA data or shotgun metagenomic data. Metadata concerning environmental, culture, or host conditions can also be uploaded. During the data upload process, METAGENassist also performs an automated taxonomic-to-phenotypic mapping. Phenotypic information covering nearly 20 functional categories such as GC content, genome size, oxygen requirements, energy sources and preferred temperature range is automatically generated from the taxonomic input data. Using this phenotypically enriched data, users can then perform a variety of multivariate and univariate data analyses including fold change analysis, t-tests, PCA, PLS-DA, clustering and classification. To facilitate data processing, users are guided through a step-by-step analysis workflow using a variety of menus, information hyperlinks and check boxes. METAGENassist also generates colorful, publication quality tables and graphs that can be downloaded and used directly in the preparation of scientific papers. METAGENassist is available at http://www.metagenassist.ca.

초등학생 급식 만족과 조리종사자 직무 만족간의 관계 분석

The purpose of this study was to explore the relationship between student's foodservice satisfaction and foodservice employee's job satisfaction at elementary schools. The survey was conducted on 5th and 6th grade students and foodservice employees at 19 elementary schools in Gwangju, Gyeonggi. Statistical data analysis was completed using SPSS ver. 17.0 for descriptive analysis, frequency analysis, independent sample t-test, and ANOVA. Students were highly satisfied with 'variety of menu' (3.78) and 'food taste' (3.75). The healthy group and no plate waste group showed significantly higher satisfaction levels on seven items, except 'sanitary utensil', as compared to others. Foodservice employees had high levels of satisfaction with human relationships and their jobs, but they were dissatisfied with their wages. Older employees had a high level of satisfaction with 'relationship with a dietitian' (P<0.05), whereas employees with a low level of education exhibited higher 'respect and reflection of his/her opinion on the duty' (P<0.01) and 'current duties' (P<0.05) as compared to others. The group with higher student satisfaction showed significantly higher employee job satisfaction for 11 items, including 'cooperation with co-workers' (P<0.01), 'relationship with a dietitian' (P<0.05), and inversely, the group with higher job satisfaction exhibited significantly higher student foodservice satisfaction for all nine items. Therefore, foodservice satisfaction and job satisfaction have a mutually positive influence on each other.

SISTEM PENUNJANG KEPUTUSAN PEMILIHAN MENU MAKANAN SEHAT SESUAI ANGKA KECUKUPAN GIZI (AKG) DENGAN ANALYTIC HIERARCY PROCESS (AHP)

Decision making is an action taken to solve a problem which is based on considerations facts or information and some experience related to the problem. Lack of knowledge and understanding of the importance of the implementation of a healthy menu is still difficult determine composition of healthy food menu correspond to nutritional adequacy rate. So that most of people still ignore that fact which is a big potential of disease cause at our body. Along with the development of technology and more complex inside the calculation needs balanced nutrition in a variety of food menu then it is necessary designed a system to provide an assessment of the healthy menu selections using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). This system can provide a decision in the selection process of a healthy food menu according to body condition based on height and weight, age, specific conditions and activities undertaken. Keywords: decision making, AHP, healthy food menu

군 급식소의 이용실태 및 만족도 조사

The purpose of this study was to examine the attitudes and satisfaction level towards military foodservices as well as suggest effective ways to increase foodservice quality. A questionnaire survey was administered to 413 subjects, which included 400 soldiers and 13 foodservice managers. The survey period was from August 6 to August 25, 2008. The collected data were statistically treated using SPSS V12.0. Most of the investigated soldiers were 20~25 years old. The foodservice managers were male general officials and the majority of them had no prior food service training. None of the foodservice managers had a dietician certificate. Menu was planned through a local foodservice conference, and most food materials were delivered in the form of center-type and military unit-type. Deficiency and deterioration of food service facilities (28.6%) as well as deficiency in the number of cooking personnel (14.3%) increased the difficulty of operational management. Soldiers expressed a desire for increases in Western (25.7%) and Korean traditional foods (21.5%), which meant menu diversity. To increase the quality of military foodservices, taste of food (40.6%), increased portion size (30.4%), and improvement in hygienic conditions (13.6%) were demanded by the soldiers. Food taste (30.8%), improvement in hygienic conditions (23.1%), and better job management were all demanded by the foodservice managers. After factor analysis, quality attributes were rearranged into five dimensions, including facilities, food, menu, service, and sanitation most attributes were over 4 points out of 5 total in importance, but only 3 points in performance. The importance score was higher than the performance score. Soldiers' overall satisfaction level was on average 3.43 points out of 5 points.

Student, Dietitian Reactions to Multicultural Food Service in Hannam School District

Student and dietitian reactions to a multicultural food service menu were studied. Food habits in a multicultural family could delay the acculturation of the children to traditional Korean food and could cause the isolation of children from the community. Also, Korean students need to be exposed to other cultures and foods because it can be a challenge to eat novel foods when students grow up. To help both multicultural and Korean children adjust to new foods, a multicultural menu was included in a school's food service. Students regarded the multicultural menu as access to another culture, but they felt that improvement of the food quality and menu diversity were required. The degree of satisfaction with the food quality, appearance, freshness, temperature, and menu diversity were all moderate. The multicultural menu was served as a single menu item or a combination menu item. The main dish single items - pasta, jajangmyeon, onigiri, hamburgers, rice and curry, kaupatmu, kaupatkung, and donburi - were liked, but nasi goreng was liked only moderately. The soup - based dish single item, tempura soba, was liked, while tomyum was disliked. The side dish single items - tangsuyook, Japanese donkatsu, baked sausage and potatoes, tandoori chicken, chicken britto, Vienna schnitzels, tender tortillas, and fried chicken wings - were liked. The desserts single items-sandwiches, pineapples, waffles, pizza, bread with strawberry jam, mangoes, and tacoyaki - were liked. The combination menus - Italian, Indian, and American - were liked, but the southeast Asian menu was the least favored. Acceptance of combination and single menu items were similar. Male students liked multicultural menu items more than female students in all categories. Approximately 60% of dietitians had experience serving the single menu items for multicultural food service. The appropriate serving times were twice per month. Dietitians guessed that 80% of the students liked the multicultural menu. The dietitians preferred serving American or Chinese foods to southeast Asian food. There were two difficulties in serving the multicultural menu, which were voiced as as lack of skill in cooking the items and improper cooking utensils and tableware for the items. Despite all the difficulties, the dietitians served the multicultural menu because it provided menu diversity, rather than for educational reasons.

이태리 레스토랑 종사자의 실내공간과 음식서비스 품질 평가

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the quality assessment on the viewpoint of personnel for interior space and foodservice in Italian restaurants. The results of this study can be summarized as follows. The quality on interior space and foodservice in Italian restaurants, that was evaluated by personnel, was comparatively high on the every variables and factors, especially on ‘Q10. Ingredients freshness’(4.69), ‘Q11. Variety of menu’(4.41), ‘Q14. Food creativity’ (4.40), ‘Q9. Food taste’(4.69 out of 5.0) and ‘Factor 3. Meal quality’(4.06). Personnel’s evaluations for interior space and foodservice quality factors were partially significant by sex and academic background and were fully significant by job title. Thus all personnel were considered to hold similarly the level of quality on the interior space and foodservice. On the basis of these results, the gap between foodservice providers and customers needs to be analyzed in the further study.

Assessment of foodservice quality and identification of improvement strategies using hospital foodservice quality model

The purposes of this study were to assess hospital foodservice quality and to identify causes of quality problems and improvement strategies. Based on the review of literature, hospital foodservice quality was defined and the Hospital Foodservice Quality model was presented. The study was conducted in two steps. In Step 1, nutritional standards specified on diet manuals and nutrients of planned menus, served meals, and consumed meals for regular, diabetic, and low-sodium diets were assessed in three general hospitals. Quality problems were found in all three hospitals since patients consumed less than their nutritional requirements. Considering the effects of four gaps in the Hospital Foodservice Quality model, Gaps 3 and 4 were selected as critical control points (CCPs) for hospital foodservice quality management. In Step 2, the causes of the gaps and improvement strategies at CCPs were labeled as "quality hazards" and "corrective actions", respectively and were identified using a case study. At Gap 3, inaccurate forecasting and a lack of control during production were identified as quality hazards and corrective actions proposed were establishing an accurate forecasting system, improving standardized recipes, emphasizing the use of standardized recipes, and conducting employee training. At Gap 4, quality hazards were menus of low preferences, inconsistency of menu quality, a lack of menu variety, improper food temperatures, and patients' lack of understanding of their nutritional requirements. To reduce Gap 4, the dietary departments should conduct patient surveys on menu preferences on a regular basis, develop new menus, especially for therapeutic diets, maintain food temperatures during distribution, provide more choices, conduct meal rounds, and provide nutrition education and counseling. The Hospital Foodservice Quality Model was a useful tool for identifying causes of the foodservice quality problems and improvement strategies from a holistic point of view.

약선 요리에 관한 식행동, 인식 및 기호도 조사 연구

This study was made focused on developing menu items of herbal cuisine by identifying what perception customers have on them. First, regarding customers' recognition of “Herbal Cuisine”, 10.3% of respondents answered, “I have no idea at all, and 70.6% of them showed high level of perception.” “Herbal Cuisines” are “good” for our health, which shows the highest rate of 52.6%, except for 3.7% of them who responded as ‘Not good’ or ‘Very bad’. For further information on Specialty Restaurant of Herbal Cuisine, they learned from TV or newspapers, whose rate showed the highest 45.8% of them. The favorite menu items of Herbal Cuisine: Steamed kinds(23.3%) and vegetable kinds(21.9%). Regarding customers' satisfaction degree after eating in the restaurant, there were some differences between male and female evaluating menu's quality taste and enjoying relaxation while having meal at table. Concerning the question whether or not they are going to come back again, 47.8% of them answered in positive way. Second, in terms of degree of importance of menu item, the freshness of food(4.36), cleanliness of ingredients(4.18), nutritional value of food(4.25), cleanliness of cooking utensils(4.19) were considered to be relatively important. On the other hand, menu planning(3.75), variety of menu(3.49), flavor of food(3.84), and the color of food came under comparatively low level in priority. There was a regional limitation in the process of performing this study. The sample population of specialty restaurant for Herbal Cuisine was limited to the city of Daegu and Gyeongbuk province.

MetaboAnalyst: a web server for metabolomic data analysis and interpretation

Metabolomics is a newly emerging field of ‘omics’ research that is concerned with characterizing large numbers of metabolites using NMR, chromatography and mass spectrometry. It is frequently used in biomarker identification and the metabolic profiling of cells, tissues or organisms. The data processing challenges in metabolomics are quite unique and often require specialized (or expensive) data analysis software and a detailed knowledge of cheminformatics, bioinformatics and statistics. In an effort to simplify metabolomic data analysis while at the same time improving user accessibility, we have developed a freely accessible, easy-to-use web server for metabolomic data analysis called MetaboAnalyst. Fundamentally, MetaboAnalyst is a web-based metabolomic data processing tool not unlike many of today's web-based microarray analysis packages. It accepts a variety of input data (NMR peak lists, binned spectra, MS peak lists, compound/concentration data) in a wide variety of formats. It also offers a number of options for metabolomic data processing, data normalization, multivariate statistical analysis, graphing, metabolite identification and pathway mapping. In particular, MetaboAnalyst supports such techniques as: fold change analysis, t-tests, PCA, PLS-DA, hierarchical clustering and a number of more sophisticated statistical or machine learning methods. It also employs a large library of reference spectra to facilitate compound identification from most kinds of input spectra. MetaboAnalyst guides users through a step-by-step analysis pipeline using a variety of menus, information hyperlinks and check boxes. Upon completion, the server generates a detailed report describing each method used, embedded with graphical and tabular outputs. MetaboAnalyst is capable of handling most kinds of metabolomic data and was designed to perform most of the common kinds of metabolomic data analyses. MetaboAnalyst is accessible at http://www.metaboanalyst.ca

A Study of Consumer Attitudes Regarding Variability of Menu Offerings in the Context of an Upscale Seafood Restaurant

ABSTRACT This study focuses on an examination of the variability aspect of menu content over time with an investigation of consumer attitudes and preferences regarding the daily variability of restaurant menus at the upper end of the market. A review of menu-oriented literature was carried out with a focus on menu content and variety. Insights were also drawn from the consumer variety-seeking literature in marketing. Consumer perceptions and attitudes were then investigated using structured scripted interviews with 100 adults over 25 years of age considered to be in the target market of an upscale seafood restaurant. Data were collected regarding overall appeal, likelihood of patronage, desirability, uniqueness, and menu preference. The results of the study indicate that in a forced-choice paired-comparison, a restaurant concept and menu alternative offering a daily varying menu, was preferred by subjects over one with a fixed menu under three differing conditions. However, results using scale measures of overall appeal and likelihood of patronage did not support a significant difference between the two menus. Implications of the findings for menu content considerations are presented and discussed.

Customer Satisfaction Scores in Long Term Care: Interns Learn How to Use Survey Information to Drive the Business

Text: As the population ages, it is anticipated that continuum care communities (CCC) will grow in size and number and employ greater numbers of dietitians. While CCC dietitians are primarily involved in resident nursing home care, in independent areas they are also part of the resident food service customer satisfaction team. Skills in both areas are crucial for effectiveness. In one program, dietetic interns complete food service management training in a CCC with amenities that include five distinct on-site restaurants. In each restaurant residents enjoy an upscale dinner chosen by a Chef de Cuisine, theme lunches prepared by dietetic interns, and/or holiday meals. To assess customer satisfaction an outside consultant sent surveys to all independent-living residents to determine overall dining satisfaction and obtain input on perceived cleanliness, staff friendliness, efficiency, food quality, food temperature, menu variety, and staff supervision. 77% of the surveys were returned completed. Results demonstrated 80 % satisfaction with cleanliness, lunch and breakfast services, and dining room friendliness. Additional results indicated 75-80% satisfaction with food quality, food and beverage temperatures, menu variety, staff supervision, and general dining experience. The survey highlighted areas of significant improvement from prior surveys and identified areas for further growth. Interns worked with dining services team to utilize these scores to define approaches to enhance service. In the process they learned how satisfaction survey results can “drive” changes in the work setting. Future dietitians must understand how to effectively use satisfaction survey results to drive enhanced service as part of the management team.

Analisis dan Strategi Meningkatkan Kepuasan Mahasiswa IPB Terhadap Penyelenggaraan Asrama Tingkat Persiapan Bersama (TPB) IPB

Consumer is the determinant factor for the quality of services. Students as the stakeholder of Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) need to receive the best services. The aimed of this research were to analyze students’ satisfaction on dormitory in Bogor Agricultural University (IPB) and to identify strategy to improve students’ satisfaction. The design of this research was cross sectional study, which carried out in IPB campus, Darmaga-Bogor, West Java for six months since September 2006 to February 2007. Numbers of samples were 289 students. The result showed that the attributes needed to be improved at man’s dormitory were bath room, water availability, the adjustment program for new students, the material construction of dormitory program, the activity of dormitory program, the access to complaint, the dormitory management, the waste management, the safety at room, the tasteof food at canteen, the menu variation, the nutrition of food, the price of food at canteen, the hygiene of food at canteen, and the cleanliness at canteen. Meanwhile, at women dormitory the main priorities to be improved were bathroom, water availability, the place to iron, dispenser, the license for being late, the night’s alarm, the adjustment program, the material construction of dormitory, the activity of dormitory program, the place for complaint, the waste management, the safety at room, the taste of food at canteen, the menu variation, the hygiene of food and the cleanliness at canteen.

DESIGN METHOD FOR OPERATIONAL IMPROVEMENT OF RESTAURANT BY KANSEI FACTOR ANALYSIS BASED ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION

The aim of this research is to determine a design methodology for operational improvement of a restaurant by identifying the specific factors of concern to consumers that influence customer satisfaction (“Kansei factors”), quantify the level of influence of these factors and use these to construct a suitable logical model using the “QSCmix”concept, and also to verify the effectiveness of this logical model. Specifically, the logical model is constructed from a multi-variable analysis model as used in psychology and other fields. The effectiveness of the model was verified by using secondary data to identify the three elements of QSC and verify their formulation as a quantitative model, and by verifying the operational effectiveness at an actual restaurant in Japan over a fourteen month period. The results of the analysis showed that, by identifying and categorizing the factors of concern to consumers that influence customer satisfaction (satisfaction influence factor group, referred to as “Bf factors”), the factors were able to be systematized and divided into five categories by characterizing the attractiveness factors that are also “QSCmix”factors. Also, the composite equation for establishing the groupings and level of influence for the combinations of “Bf factors”for each of these influential categories (referred to as “Bfp factors”) was calculated using a satisfaction evaluation formula based on the each of the grouping “Bfp factors”for each examinee, and this established three groups of identification categories together with their levels of influence. The order of new categories that influence satisfaction (desirable “Bf factor”combinations) was determined to be, 1 st: guest service, 2nd: portion volume, 3rd: cleanliness, 4th: price affordability, 5th: taste, 6th: food presentation, 7th: ambience, 8th: membership privileges, and 9th: menu variety. A successful result in the form of an improving trend for patrons to make repeat visits and increasing monthly turnover was achieved in the restaurant for verification used to trial the “QSCmix”concept design process based on the satisfaction structure obtained from the “QSCmix”concept design identified by this research. These results demonstrate that the proposed logical model is effective as a quantitative model for the analysis of satisfaction factors and that it can be applied to “QSCmix”concept design.

What do stakeholders consider the key issues affecting the quality of foodservice provision for long‐stay patients?

AbstractThis study aimed to elicit concerns of key stakeholders regarding foodservice provision for long‐stay hospital patients. Seventeen focus groups and four individual interviews were conducted involving six stakeholder groups: dietitians, nutrition assistants, patients, nurses, foodservice assistants and foodservice managers. Ninety‐eight participants (20 male, 78 female) were recruited from public and private hospitals in New South Wales, Australia. Each of the focus groups and individual interviews was conducted in a hospital setting where free and open discussions could be digitally recorded. Transcripts were prepared from the digital recordings and QSR Nvivo 2.0 qualitative analysis software (QSR International, Melbourne, Australia) was used to code the transcripts prior to content and thematic analysis. Themes were identified by relative frequency in the discussion, number of issues raised within each theme and the importance placed on the issues raised. Five major themes emerged from 37 discussion topics: the foodservice system, menu variety, preparation to eat and feeding assistance, packaging and portion size. Participants were particularly concerned about the increased packaging of food products, perceived lack of meal set up and feeding assistance, limited menu variety especially when considering longer stay hospital inpatients, and the increased use of cook‐chill operations. These findings lend themselves well to testing in a wider sphere via quantitative means in a proposed national survey. The results of this survey may produce a position on the main barriers to effective foodservice provision for long‐stay patients in the Australian context, and enable identification of practical solutions.

The application of menu engineering and design in Asian restaurants

This article describes a cross-cultural study, which examines the relevance of menu engineering and design to enhance the profitability of Asian restaurants. Many entrée items analysed were classified as unpopular and/or unprofitable and the menus sampled lacked merchandising effects. Despite that, the foodservice operators were content with the current menu items performances and retained these dishes to add menu variety. In addition, the operators were unwilling to change the current menu formats which they claimed were working well for the businesses. Education regarding the application of menu engineering and design is considered an effective way to develop the operators’ commitment to these systems.

The Anatomy of Restaurant Reviews

A content analysis of newspaper restaurant reviews from five U.S. cities was conducted. Descriptors critics used to describe their experiences were cataloged. The descriptors were then classified into eight categories based on theoretical constructs used in the restaurant customer evaluation literature. The constructs catalogued in this study were: (1) Quality of food and beverage (2) Quantity of food (3) Quality of service (4)Ambience and atmosphere (5) Menu variety (6) Price and value (7) Other customers (8) Professionalism. Critics' primarily focused their comments on Quality of food and Ambience and atmosphere. This is consistent with the importance customers report in criteria for dining out. Service and pricing were reflected in symbolized scales accompanying many reviews. When an exception occurred during the dining experience, the critic would discuss price, service, and other exceptions to their expectations. Both positive and negative exceptions were covered in reviews. Restaurants newly opened or recently changed may expect a reviewer's visit. To prepare, the restaurateur must insure the food and the ambience are consistent with the experience they want to create for their guests. Quality of service and Price and value are hygiene factors. They are problematic to reviewers when they do notmeet the standard but receive little attention if they exceed the standard.

Eating out guidelines for dialysis patients

INTODAY’S world, eating out has become an essential and important component of lifestyle for many people. Dining out is not only a way of getting nourishment but is also a form of entertainment. The restaurant industry has experienced a solid sales growth over the years and has offered more choices, options, and menu items than ever before. As a renal dietitian, I frequently encounter the question, “Can I still go out to eat since I am on dialysis?” Absolutely! Patients need to be provided with information to help them enjoy dining out while still adhering to their renal diet. Our dialysis center is located in Plano, Texas —a fast growing suburban city north of Dallas. Many of our patients live in the area and eat out frequently. This group of patients and/or their spouses often works, leaving little time to prepare balanced meals. In addition, families with children or retired individuals who rely on restaurants as a source of daily meals frequently tend to eat out. Some patients may just want to treat themselves to a fast food or restaurant meal to socialize with family or friends. For people who experience poor appetite and a diminished interest in food, dining out may improve their intake because of an enticing restaurant atmosphere or menu variety. Whatever the reason for eating out, restaurant foods tend to be problematic for renal patients. Many of the foods contain large amounts of sodium, potassium, and phosphorus. It is challenging to adhere to a renal diet when dining out but it can be fit into an individualized diet plan if patients know what to select. The following handouts were developed as an educational tool to help patients choose wisely when dining out. Because there are various types of restaurants available, patients may be in the mood for something with an ethnic twist. The comparison between good and poor choices will assist patients in making wise, sensible selections and will minimize the sodium, phosphorus, and potassium intake. The sample menus provide a fun and memorable way to reinforce better choices. I hope you find this tool helpful to encourage positive eating habits in your patients. Submitted by *Connie Chan, MS, RD, LD, Fresenius Medical Care, Collin County Dialysis Center, Plano, TX. This Patient Information Form may be photocopied for the purpose of distribution to patients only, but not for any other purposes, such as copying for general distribution, for advertising or promotional purposes, for creating new collective works, or for resale. Professional review and adaptation before patient use is encouraged. © 2002 by the National Kidney Foundation, Inc. 1051-2276/02/1204-0009$35.00/0 doi:10.1053/jren.2002.35538

Dietary Adherence in the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension Trial

Participants in controlled feeding studies must consume all study foods and abstain from all other foods. In outpatient studies in which adherence may be compromised by free-living conditions, promoting, documenting, and monitoring dietary adherence are necessary. In the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) trial, a thorough participant screening process, an orientation session, and a run-in feeding period before randomization aided in the selection of participants who would most likely adhere to the demands of the study protocol. Throughout the feeding period, various educational and motivational techniques were used to encourage DASH participants to adhere to the dietary protocol. Both objective and subjective methods documented excellent participant adherence. Daily monitoring of individual adherence was based on meal attendance, body weight measurements, and daily diaries. Urinary sodium, potassium, phosphorus, and urea nitrogen values and an anonymous poststudy survey were used to evaluate adherence at the end of the study. Most DASH participants adhered to the feeding regimen by consuming only study foods and no other foods. When adherence lapsed, participants generally cited the lack of menu variety as a reason. Successful participant adherence to the constraints of an outpatient controlled feeding study is possible with carefully selected participants and a variety of adherence-promoting strategies incorporated into the study protocol. J Am Diet Assoc. 1999;99(suppl):S76–S83.