OBJECTIVES This study examined the status of children's favorite foods intake and the relationship with the policy environment based on the Special Act on Safety Control of Children's Dietary Life for suggesting a supportive policy strategy. METHODS The subjects were 4th grade students (n=1,638) in elementary school from 45 schools collected from seven areas (Seoul, Daegu, Daejeon, Gyeonggi, Chungnam, Jeonbuk, and Gyeongnam). The children participated in a self-administered questionnaire survey in class under the supervision of the teacher. The questionnaire consisted of items, such as social demographic characteristics, frequency of intake of the children's favorite foods, and policy cognition. A t-test and ANOVA were applied to explore the relationship between the frequency of children's favorite foods intake and policy cognition. The survey was implemented from August 2016 to September 2016. RESULTS For the boys, the frequency of ‘high-calorie low nutrient foods intake’ (HCLN) was significantly higher than that of the girls (p<0.01). For the children who received information on their favorite foods from the internet, the frequency of HCLN was higher than the other sources (p<0.01). The time of TV viewing and computer usage, and smartphone usage was associated with a higher frequency of HCLN, and a lower healthy favorite food intake (all p<0.001). The intake frequency of healthy favorite foods indicated a positive correlation with the policy cognition, including policy perception, usefulness, necessity and buying intention, and educational experience. CONCLUSIONS This study showed a correlation with the frequency of children's favorite foods intake and policy. In particular, the frequency of children's healthy favorite foods intake indicated a meaningful relationship with the policy than the frequency of HCLN. This study also found that the consumption of children's healthy favorite foods was positively correlated with the educational experience. To develop a supportive policy for a good dietary environment for children, there is a need to focus on how to collaborate with multiple levels of influences, such as the national level, school level, and family.
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Correlation between adolescents’ dietary safety management competency and value recognition, efficacy, and competency of convergence using dietary area: a descriptive study Yunhwa Kim, Yeon-Kyung Lee Korean Journal of Community Nutrition.2023; 28(4): 317. CrossRef
OBJECTIVES We investigated the operation needs of school meal support centers (SMSC) in Chungnam-do based on analysis of nutrition teachers' perception of them. METHODS The Chungnam government established the first SMSC in 2012. Thirteen SMSCs are currently being operated in Chungnam-do. To analyze the results quantitatively, we investigated nutrition teachers opinions regarding the necessity for SMSCs as a dependent variable and derived the independent variables based on the causal relationships with dependent variables using the ordered logit model. Those independent variables included region, school type, number of students, attitude regarding free meal policy, satisfaction with school meal policy, and preference for local food. RESULTS Briefly, teachers in the region in which the SMSC was located more strongly supported the SMSC. In addition, teachers in public schools with a smaller number of students believed that having a SMSC is more beneficial, and that other variables also affected the necessity for SMSCs. Moreover, nutrition teachers preferred local foods rather than organic foods because of the unstable supply of organic foods. CONCLUSIONS Based on the results of this study, it was recommended that the local government implement the policy consistently. Moreover, it was recommended that the government operate the SMSC more efficiently, enhance the roles of the SMSC as the local organization responsible for student nutritional planing and expand the coverage of agricultural products.