{"id":{"repo_id":"uiuc","oai_identifier":"oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129583"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/uiuc/oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/129583","repository":{"repo_id":"uiuc","name":"University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign","base_url":"https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh"},"display":{"title":"Availability and use of spices and herbs in healthcare facilities","abstract":"Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-05-01","abstract_html":"Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-05-01","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Mashhood, Ammarah"],"institution":"University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign","degree_name":"M.S.","degree_level":"Thesis","degree_discipline":"Community Health","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Raj, Minakshi"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2025,"date_issued":"2025-04-28","date_published":"2025-04-28","updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:05Z","subjects":["Spices","Herbs","Healthcare facilities","Cultural inclusion","Culture","Spices use","Spices available","Herbs used","Herbs available"],"languages":["en","eng"],"rights":["Copyright 2025 Ammarah Mashhood"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129583","outbound_label":"Handle","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Raj, Minakshi"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Mashhood, Ammarah"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2025-04-28","2025-05"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["text","Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Community Health"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["M.S."]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Spices","Herbs","Healthcare facilities","Cultural inclusion","Culture","Spices use","Spices available","Herbs used","Herbs available"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["en","eng"]},{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2025 Ammarah Mashhood"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129583"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description","label":"Description","values":["Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-05-01","The student, Ammarah Mashhood, accepted the attached license on 2025-04-25 at 11:59.","The student, Ammarah Mashhood, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-04-25 at 12:15.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-04-28 at 18:15.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #21983 on 2025-10-19 at 19:16:20","Introduction: The number of older adults requiring long-term support services in the US is dramatically increasing, yet healthcare facilities continue to insufficiently support multicultural older adults. Background: Offering foods from various culinary traditions may help promote cultural inclusivity in healthcare facilities (namely hospitals and long-term care settings), which may increase patient satisfaction and influence older adults’ decision to utilize these services. This study aimed to assess the a) availability and b) use of various herbs and spices in healthcare facilities. Methods: We conducted a nationwide online survey asking healthcare professionals (physicians, nurses, RDNs), chefs, and food service personnel what spices and herbs were available in the facilities where they worked, and how often these spices and herbs were used for food preparation. We also asked what respondents perceived to be culinary preferences of their residents/patients/clients. We then summarized frequencies and proportions for all measures. Results: About half of the respondents (52.56%) reported that the food was prepared from scratch in their facilities. While most respondents reported a large number (40 or more) spices and herbs to be available in their facilities, black pepper (88.79%), garlic (86.79%) and onion (84.11%) were reported to be the most frequently used. Alum (43.75%), galangal (44.64%) and black mustard seeds (40.18%) were identified as the most commonly unavailable spices. Even when present, alum (80.65%), galangal (87.50%) and saffron (72.00%) were reported to be rarely used in most facilities. Discussion: Our study indicates that despite many spices and herbs being available, only a select few (black pepper, onion and garlic) are frequently used for food preparation in healthcare facilities. This suggests that most healthcare facilities do not offer culturally diverse food options for their residents/patients/clients. Conclusion: There is a need for increased cultural inclusivity in healthcare facilities, especially for older adults. Incorporating a variety of spices and herbs when preparing food may be a simple, low-cost solution to making diets culturally inclusive, improving patient-centeredness and quality of care in healthcare facilities, which would then result in increased utilization of required health services and improved health outcomes in older minority populations."]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Availability and use of spices and herbs in healthcare facilities"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Raj, Minakshi"],"dc:creator":["Mashhood, Ammarah"],"dc:date":["2025-04-28","2025-05"],"dc:description":["Submission published under a 24 month embargo labeled 'U of I Access', the embargo will last until 2027-05-01","The student, Ammarah Mashhood, accepted the attached license on 2025-04-25 at 11:59.","The student, Ammarah Mashhood, submitted this Thesis for approval on 2025-04-25 at 12:15.","This Thesis was approved for publication on 2025-04-28 at 18:15.","DSpace SAF Submission Ingestion Package generated from Vireo submission #21983 on 2025-10-19 at 19:16:20","Introduction: The number of older adults requiring long-term support services in the US is dramatically increasing, yet healthcare facilities continue to insufficiently support multicultural older adults. Background: Offering foods from various culinary traditions may help promote cultural inclusivity in healthcare facilities (namely hospitals and long-term care settings), which may increase patient satisfaction and influence older adults’ decision to utilize these services. This study aimed to assess the a) availability and b) use of various herbs and spices in healthcare facilities. Methods: We conducted a nationwide online survey asking healthcare professionals (physicians, nurses, RDNs), chefs, and food service personnel what spices and herbs were available in the facilities where they worked, and how often these spices and herbs were used for food preparation. We also asked what respondents perceived to be culinary preferences of their residents/patients/clients. We then summarized frequencies and proportions for all measures. Results: About half of the respondents (52.56%) reported that the food was prepared from scratch in their facilities. While most respondents reported a large number (40 or more) spices and herbs to be available in their facilities, black pepper (88.79%), garlic (86.79%) and onion (84.11%) were reported to be the most frequently used. Alum (43.75%), galangal (44.64%) and black mustard seeds (40.18%) were identified as the most commonly unavailable spices. Even when present, alum (80.65%), galangal (87.50%) and saffron (72.00%) were reported to be rarely used in most facilities. Discussion: Our study indicates that despite many spices and herbs being available, only a select few (black pepper, onion and garlic) are frequently used for food preparation in healthcare facilities. This suggests that most healthcare facilities do not offer culturally diverse food options for their residents/patients/clients. Conclusion: There is a need for increased cultural inclusivity in healthcare facilities, especially for older adults. Incorporating a variety of spices and herbs when preparing food may be a simple, low-cost solution to making diets culturally inclusive, improving patient-centeredness and quality of care in healthcare facilities, which would then result in increased utilization of required health services and improved health outcomes in older minority populations."],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://hdl.handle.net/2142/129583"],"dc:language":["en","eng"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2025 Ammarah Mashhood"],"dc:subject":["Spices","Herbs","Healthcare facilities","Cultural inclusion","Culture","Spices use","Spices available","Herbs used","Herbs available"],"dc:title":["Availability and use of spices and herbs in healthcare facilities"],"dc:type":["text","Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Community Health"],"thesis:degree_level":["Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["M.S."],"thesis:institution_name":["University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-22T22:25:05Z"}