Utilization Status and Efforts to Increase Usage of Traditional Foods in School Lunch according to Dietitians' Preference

Ahn, Gi Deuk; Song, Kyung Hee; Lee, Hong Mie

Abstract

The study was conducted to assess school dietitians' preferences for traditional foods, to determine the association with their perception and usage status, and to develop the strategies to increase its utilization of traditional foods in school lunches. The information was obtained by the self-administered questionnaire from the subjects, which were 198 dietitians in schools located in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do. According to the preference for traditional foods, subjects were distributed into three groups (High = 54, Medium = 128, Low = 16). The significances of differences between groups were determined using SPSS 12.0 at p < 0.05. Compared to the dietitians with lower (medium and low) preferences, those with high preferences answered that they had better knowledge (p < 0.001) for traditional foods, and served them more in school lunches (p < 0.01). Also, more dieticians in the high preference group not only felt that they need to train school administrators (p < 0.01) as well as themselves (p < 0.05), but also were currently providing students with the nutrition education on traditional foods (p < 0.05). The results presented the evidence suggesting that having dietitians with higher preference for traditional foods can offer an effective strategy to increase the opportunities for schoolchildren to be exposed to traditional foods. Development of the standard recipes for use in school lunches by the government or the association was answered as the best strategy to increase the use of traditional foods, regardless of the dietitians' preferences.