• Nutritional Sciences
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• v.6 no.1
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• pp.53-66
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• 2003

This study was performed to assess the perception and need for the elderly meal service program of the Korean elderly. The purpose of this study was to assess the dietary environment factors which are related to the perception and need for such service. Subjects of this study were 800 elderly persons of whom responses were received from 769(male: 26, female: 543) aged over 60 years. Their mean age was 7.51 $\pm$8.1 years. Seventy two point two percent of them lived with their family and 54.5% of them were supported economically by their children. Among their meal management behaviors, food purchasing was hard to perform and the most aid-needed activity. In their dietary environment, 47.1% of them were supported by their children. The percent of the subjects who were aware of the elderly meal service program was 48.4%. Men were more aware of the meal service program than women(p<0.01). Elderly who were supported by government were more aware of this service than others. Elderly who were in poor dietary environment, were less affluent or had trouble preparing meals expressed better perception this service than others (p<0.05). Those who requested meal services had poor dietary environment than those who did not (p<0.001). The elderly who were younger, with higher income, and lived with a spouse had more demand for home delivered meal service. This study showed that the poorer the greater desire for meal services. Therefore, the need for urgent improvement and expansion of meal services for elderly is suggested by this study.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.618-625
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• 2009

The purposes of this study were to evaluate food safety knowledge and to assess home food safety performance of home-delivered meal service recipients. Two facilities providing home-delivered meal services for older adults were located in Seoul. A total of 120 service recipients were surveyed using an individual interview technique and 97 responses were used for data analysis. A statistical data analysis was completed using SPSS program (ver.14) for descriptive analysis, t-test, ANOVA, and correlation analysis. The majority of the participants were 70 years old or older and females. They perceived their health status as poor or very poor and took more than one kind of medicines. An average score of the food safety knowledge test was 11.48 based on 18 points (63.8%). The results revealed that the older adults knew the importance of hand washing but were not aware of when and how to wash hands. There was room to improve knowledge on cleaning and sanitizing fresh fruits and using wiping cloth. The knowledge score for each category was not significantly different by gender and age. The home food safety practices of the older adults was rated as 2.8 out of 4 points; the highest score was associated for proper food handling category and the lowest score was for cleaning and sanitizing. The worst performance was related to managing hand cuts and wounds (1.96). The total knowledge score and an average performance score were significantly correlated (p<0.01). Food safety education programs targeting the older adults who receive home-delivered meal services would improve the recipients' food safety knowledge and practices related to consumption of the meals at home. The programs should focus on not only improving food safety knowledge but also changing food safety practices.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.14 no.6
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• pp.846-860
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• 2009

We investigated the foodservice management practices in various operation types of childcare centers in Asan, Chungnam Province, with the intention of improving the quality of foodservice and providing the basic information for establishing more effective and efficient foodservice model system. Self-completed questionnaires were collected from the directors of 174 child care centers. The statistical analysis was completed using SPSS Ver. 12.0 program. The followings are about the results of this study. Approximately 94.8% of the directors were women with the average age of 40.3. All of the investigated facilities executed foodservice; the facilities of 96.2% had been self-operated, 1.9% was contract-managed and the remaining 1.9% served delivered meal from outside. Only 20.0% of the investigated centers employed a dietitian. In most of the centers, meals were prepared in a conventional manner and approximately 85.3% of the centers are serving only snacks twice a day as a supplementary due to financial difficulties. Menu planner of the facilities, which have no dietitian was the director (35.8%) or the cook (25.7%). In most centers, the directors purchased the food materials (67.5%). Material inspection was done by the director (54.9%) or the cook (40.5%). However, home care centers did not inspect the food material. These results indicate that food service management guidelines need to be established by the facility type with the government control and financial support. Especially, dietitian employment and the efficient foodservice model system establishment are questions that confront us.