A Researcher Surveys Patients at Various Points of Their Hospitalizations

A researcher surveys patients at various points of their hospitalizations, relative to the quality of hospital food, measured on a scale that includes taste, texture, amount, temperature, and general appearance. Demographic data collected include age, gender, ethnicity, income, and family information, plus dates of admission and discharge for each patient. Variables related to food include individual items' protein, fat, and calorie content, a self-rating of appetite at three points of the day, special diet requirements, and type of diet eaten at home. The researcher uses multiple regression analysis to make sense of the copious data. The number of hours that elapse between survey completion and hospital discharge seem to be the strongest predictor of quality of hospital food. Which three of the following statements are most likely explanations of this finding, considering the study's Non-interventional design?

A) Nurses don't treat patients who are close to going home as sick people and are more likely to encourage them to try to eat, which improves their appetites.
B) As hospital discharge nears, patients feel better and their appetites improve.
C) As hospital discharge nears, patients are increasingly ambulatory and expend more calories, improving their digestion and their appetite.
D) Patients who are close to leaving the hospital receive decreasing amounts of opioid medication and, consequently, their appetites are less suppressed.
E) Being surveyed about eating causes patients to be hungry.
F) As hospital discharge nears, hospital workers are less likely to be sympathetic to patients' complaints; this causes them to increase their oral intake.

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