Determinants of Direct Support Professionals’ Mealtime Experiences in an Israeli Long-Term Care Facility for Residents with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Background: Malnutrition is a universal challenge in long-term care, significantly affecting vulnerable populations. Residents with Intellectual Developmental Disability (IDD) rely heavily on Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) for assisted feeding. Understanding DSP’s mealtime experiences is essential for improving nutritional care and well-being. Objective: To examine multilevel factors associated with DSPs’ mealtime experiences. Methods: This exploratory cross-sectional case study used a survey administrated to DSPs working in a long-term residential setting. Statistical analyses examined the associations between multilevel factors and DSP’s positive and negative mealtime experiences. Results: The sample included 46 DSP’s (98% women) from a single facility in Israel. Although DSPs reported high levels of positive feelings and satisfaction with their daily work efficacy, negative feelings were significantly associated with some organizational, environmental and resident-related factors. Negative feelings were higher among DSPs caring for residents who use wheelchairs compared to those working with residents who do not use wheelchairs (t = −2.99, p < 0.01). Negative feelings were negatively associated with institutional support (r = −0.49, p < 0.001), and perceived accessibility and adaptability of the environment (r = −0.46, p = 0.001), and showed a more modest association with communication with residents (r = −0.38, p = 0.01). DSPs’ seniority, education level, and prior feeding-related training were not significantly associated with mealtime experience. Conclusions: The findings highlight that negative mealtime experiences among DSPs are associated with organizational, environmental, and resident-related factors, rather than with individual DSP’s characteristics. Policy and practical adjustments to address mealtime experiences for residents with IDD are suggested.