Resident coping strategies in the nursing home: an indicator of the need for dietary services change.

Inadequate food intake leading to malnutrition impacts up to 85% of nursing home residents. Malnutrition can result in compromised quality of life and lead to chronic disability, functional decline, increased health care utilization and costs, and death. This article examines organizational structure (Perrow, 1979) and person-environment fit (Lawton, 1982) as factors in nutritional care of nursing home residents. The strategies used by residents to cope with organizational food and food service issues, competence, and environmental press in the nursing home can alert nurses to the need for changes in dietary services to increase food intake and quality of life.