In recent years, food waste has received great attention and is now considered the cause of many negative effects, including health, economic, social and environmental issues. A cross-sectional study was conducted among a sample of 762 inpatients at three hospitals of Campania region in Italy. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the amount of food waste occurring in these hospitals using a structured questionnaire and asking inpatients about the average percentage of food they had disposed of in the previous three days. The overall food wasted amounted to 41.6%. The main plates, first (pasta or rice), second plate (meat or fish), resulted in similar amounts of waste (38.5% and 39.7%, respectively). The side plate (vegetable or potatoes), however, generated the greatest amount of waste (55.0%); 40.7% of patients totally discarded this part of their meals. The type of food wastage among the three hospitals reflected similar patient behaviours, with the amount of food wasted never falling below 30%. Females tended to waste more food than males (59.1% vs. 38.2%; p = 0.000). Other variables were correlated with less food waste, such as having a good opinion of the food’s quality (RR = 1.91; 95% C.I. = 1.68–2.17) and satisfaction with the foodservice in general (RR = 1.86; 95% C.I. = 1.64–2.10). Poor quality, different eating habits and the feeling of satiety were the main reasons patients gave for food waste. Our study suggests that the most promising way to reduce food waste in hospitals is to improve the quality of meals and to establish an individual, simplified and flexible meal reservation process based on specific needs and preferences.

Health Literacy (HL) is an important determinant of individual health. Limited HL is an increasing problem affecting the general population. This study aims to assess the level of HL in patients attending outpatient medical facilities in general medicine located in Naples and Caserta and investigate the association of HL with health behaviours and health status. The study involved patients attending outpatient medical facilities in general medicine. The questionnaire had four sections–the sociodemographic information, the 16-items version of the European Health Literacy Survey questionnaire, the general self-efficacy scale (GSE) and the health status scale (EQ-VAS). Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to investigate the sociodemographic determinants of HL. The Pearson correlation coefficients were determined to compare HL with health behaviours (GSE) and health status (EQ-VAS). The study showed that 61.6% of 503 patients had a low level of HL. After the multivariate analysis, HL was found to be higher among patients with higher education level and general self-efficacy score ≥30. There were no differences in HL between the age groups and people with or without chronic diseases. HL was stronger correlated with GSE than with EQ-VAS (0.53 vs 0.27). This is the first study on HL for Southern Italy. It showed a low level of HL. As the sample was not representative of the reference population, we cannot derive a corresponding conclusion for the general population of Southern Italy. Therefore, more data in Italy are needed to plan actions for improving HL.

Introduction: Patient satisfaction is an indicator of healthcare quality, and expectation is an important determinant. A component of patient satisfaction is the quality of foodservice. An indicator of this quality is the food wasted by hospitalised patients. In the present study, we investigated patient satisfaction regarding food and foodservice, the expectation on food quality and the amount of food wasted in two obstetrics and gynaecology wards in Northern and Southern Italy. Patients and Methods: A questionnaire, including sociodemographic data, rate of food waste, expectations of food quality and characteristics of food and foodservice, was administrated to 550 inpatients in obstetrics and gynaecology wards (275 for each hospital). Univariate analysis was performed to describe the results, and multivariate analysis was carried out to control for sociodemographic data. Results: Northern patients were more satisfied with the quality of food (54.2% vs 36.0%) and foodservice (54.5% vs 38.2%) than southern patients. Northern patients had more positive expectations about the quality of food (69.5% vs 31.6%), whereas southern patients stated that they had no expectations. Southern patients gave more importance to mealtime (72.7% vs 26.2%), and many of them brought food from home to the hospital (30.2% vs 2.2%) through relatives who came to visit them. Southern patients discarded about 41.7% of food served, whereas northern patients discarded only about 15.3%. Discussion: Food waste is a worldwide problem due to its economic, social and environmental effects. Especially in hospitals, food waste could have a negative impact on the overall patient satisfaction.

Background: In our study, an Italian version of the PMOS-30 questionnaire was used to evaluate its feasibility and to improve health care quality in an Italian hospital. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 435 inpatients at a hospital in the Campania Region of Southern Italy using the PMOS-30 questionnaire and two other questions to assess patient feedback about the overall perception of safety. Results: The item “I was always treated with dignity and respect” showed the greatest percentage of agreement (agree/strongly agree = 89.2%; mean = 4.24). The least agreement was associated with the four “Staff Roles and Responsibilities” items (agree/strongly agree ranged from 31.5 to 40.0%; weighted mean = 2.84). All other 25 items had over 55.0% agreement, with 19 items over 70%. Moreover, 94.5% of the patients considered the safety of the ward sufficient/good/very good, and 92.8% did not notice situations that could cause harm to patients. Conclusion: Patient perception of safety was found to be satisfactory. The results were presented to the hospital decision makers for suggesting appropriate interventions. Our experience showed that the use of the PMOS-30 questionnaire may improve safety and health care quality in hospital settings through patient feedback.

Background: Tobacco use remains a global public health challenge, leading to over 8 million annual deaths and significant economic burden. Effective tobacco control and cessation interventions are essential to mitigate these impacts. Methods: Using data from the Global Adult Tobacco Surveys (between 2011 and 2021) and WHO reports from 29 countries, this study analysed determinants of quitting behaviour among n=51 196 individuals. Random Forest classification models were employed to identify key predictors for two outcomes: quit attempts and successful cessation. The model incorporated individual characteristics and all MPOWER policies, addressing gaps in the existing literature. Permutation variable importance was used to investigate the predictive power of the features. The Random Forest misclassification rates were 6% and 21%, indicating predictive reliability. Findings: Country-level factors, tobacco control legislation and WHO region significantly influence quit attempts. Individual-level factors, specifically smoking habits and smoking-permissive home environments—more strongly predicted successful cessation. Interpretation: Results highlight the importance of comprehensive tobacco control policies in promoting cessation. To improve cessation rates and reduce the global burden of tobacco-related diseases, public health initiatives must enhance the enforcement and reach of tobacco control measures, provide targeted support for people who smoke heavily and people in smoking-permissive environments and integrate a broader range of population-specific influences. Further research is necessary to understand the impact of actual policy enforcement and the cultural dynamics affecting tobacco use and cessation. These findings are crucial for guiding public health policies and interventions aimed at achieving better tobacco cessation outcomes globally.