Social Eating Among Child and Adult Hospital Patients: A Scoping Review

Emily Barnes, Rebecca O’Connell (), Claire Thompson, Jessica Brock, Caroline Heyes and Nancy Bostock
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Emily Barnes: Centre for Research in Public Health and Community Care (CRIPACC), School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9AB, UK
Rebecca O’Connell: Centre for Research in Public Health and Community Care (CRIPACC), School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9AB, UK
Claire Thompson: Centre for Research in Public Health and Community Care (CRIPACC), School of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield AL10 9AB, UK
Jessica Brock: Centre for Food Policy, City St George’s, University of London, Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB, UK
Caroline Heyes: Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Cambridge University Hospitals, Hills Rd, Cambridge CB2 0QQ, UK
Nancy Bostock: Cambridgeshire & Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust, Elizabeth House, Fulbourn, Cambridge CB21 5EF, UK

IJERPH, 2025, vol. 22, issue 5, 1-46

Abstract: Current policy attention to the ‘public plate’ includes a focus on food in hospitals. Recommendations for much-needed improvements include the provision of opportunities for patients to engage in ‘social dining’, which has been shown to have a range of benefits for health and well-being. However, there has been no synthesis of the literature on the topic to date. This scoping review sets out to identify and examine different types of evidence on social dining in the hospital context, factors shaping its implementation and impact, and knowledge gaps. Following comprehensive searches of two databases and a thorough screening process, 38 papers were included in the review. The outcomes and impacts of social dining were measured in a variety of ways across the studies. Social dining in hospitals can impact dietary intake and nutritional outcomes and have implications for patient well-being. These effects are moderated by a range of factors, including the age and needs of the patient group, eating environment, and presence of staff and visitors. Future research needs to focus on children and their families, an under-researched patient group that may be especially likely to benefit from the opportunity to eat with others in the hospital.

Keywords: social eating; commensality; hospital food; scoping review; nutrition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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