New study reveals the power of shared mealtimes for children in hospital

A new study led by the University of Hertfordshire for the East of England’s first specialist children’s hospital has found that shared mealtimes in hospital settings can significantly improve the health and wellbeing of children and young people.

The study, published in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, is part of the development of the ‘Food, with Care’ manifesto for the forthcoming Cambridge Children’s Hospital. It highlights how social dining - where patients, families, and staff eat together - can create a more supportive, familiar, and healing environment for young patients.

“Opportunities for social dining allow the experience of eating in hospital to feel more normal and have also been shown to promote intake of food,” said Emily Barnes, lead author and researcher at the University of Hertfordshire. “This is especially important in paediatric care, where child growth and development are a significant priority.”

Cambridge Children’s Hospital will be unique in fully integrating mental and physical healthcare under one roof, with food playing a core part of that holistic vision.

The research team, which includes Rebecca O’Connell, Professor of Food, Families and Society at the University of Hertfordshire and part of the University’s Centre for Research in Public Health and Community Care (CRIPACC), has been working with healthcare experts, including consultant paediatrician Dr Nancy Bostock from Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust and Caroline Heyes, lead dietitian at Cambridge University Hospitals. They reviewed existing academic literature and gathered new data from 120 children, young people, and their families.

Key findings included:

• Dining spaces that give young people the chance to socialise, like at school or college, could alleviate feelings of loneliness and boredom.
• A ‘home from home’ experience could be created through parents bringing in home-cooked meals and families eating together in hospital.
• Aesthetic objects, such as tablecloths and flowers, as well as staff engaging with patients, could create welcoming social dining spaces.
• Eating in a dining area could be a nice change of scenery and could benefit patients’ mental health.
• Most research showed social eating in hospitals significantly increased dietary intake and nutritional outcomes, improving patient wellbeing and satisfaction.

However, the study also acknowledges that shared mealtimes may not suit every child. Some children with physical or neurodiverse conditions expressed a preference for eating in quieter, more private settings.

“Food is not just fuel. It’s a source of comfort, connection, and care,” said Professor Rebecca O’Connell, who is also a researcher with the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East of England. “Parents of children with life-limiting conditions told us how important it is to eat as a family.”

The findings will inform the design of Cambridge Children’s Hospital, which will be the first specialist children’s hospital for the East of England.

Caroline Heyes, lead dietitian at Cambridge University Hospitals, said that creating the right environment for eating can help establish life-long positive relationships with food.

“Food plays a vital role in recovery, well-being, and overall patient experience. At Cambridge Children’s Hospital, our fresh-cook kitchens, ward pantries, and inviting dining spaces will support every child in receiving the nourishment they need while also fostering the social and emotional connections that make mealtimes enjoyable and fulfilling.”

Social Eating Among Child and Adult Hospital Patients: A Scoping Review by Emily Barnes, Rebecca O’Connell, Claire Thompson, Jessica Brock, Caroline Heyes and Nancy Bostock is available to read now.

Food with Care is currently funded by the University of Hertfordshire’s ESRC Impact Acceleration award (UH) and is affiliated to the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration (ARC) East of England. This research was also supported by Cambridge University Hospitals (CUH), Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust (CPFT), and the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Centre (BRC 1215 20014). The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NHS, the NIHR, or the Department of Health and Social Care.