SummaryThis paper describes the method and approach of an exploratory study focusing on the actual roles of nursing personnel in meeting the nutritional needs of hospitalized patients. The study is sociological and anthropological in orientation. Data were collected in periods of intensive field work over a two year period in hospitals in California.Major interim findings are reported. The highlights indicate that: 1) diet is viewed in two perspectives, namely from a lay versus a professional point of reference; 2) nurses have negative responses to their nutrition education; 3) patients seek assistance primarily regarding food and its service as opposed to need for help in understanding principles of diet; 4) diabetes mellitus is perceived as a disease in which diet is of utmost concern above all other disease states; 5) patients turn to physicians as the source of information in every aspect of care; 6) diet instruction sheets are the principal means of conveying information to patients; and 7) the further the nurse is from the patient and the higher the staff position she holds, the higher priority level she places on nutrition in patient care.