• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.16 no.5
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• pp.488-496
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• 2016

A survey of the satisfaction of school meals and food preferences was conducted with an objective to enhance the quality of food service. The study conducted a survey for 292 middle school students (152 boys and 140 girls), who were either in $1^{st}$ or $2^{nd}$ year. According to the general information, the number of $1^{st}$ and $2^{nd}$ year students was 134 and 158, respectively. Usually, the mother (92.8%) prepared meal the most, followed in order by the grandmother (5.8%) and father (1.4%). The top priorities of choosing food were taste (82.9%), good for health (6.5%), nutritional value (4.5%), and flavor (3.1%). The satisfaction was investigated using a 5 point scale. The satisfaction of taste was rice ($3.99{\pm}0.74$), side dishes ($3.99{\pm}0.65$), soup ($3.61{\pm}0.86$), kimchi ($3.54{\pm}1.12$). The satisfaction of quantity was rice ($3.88{\pm}0.83$), soup ($3.87{\pm}0.79$), kimchi ($3.80{\pm}0.89$), and side dishes ($3.71{\pm}0.93$). The satisfaction of diversity was side dishes ($4.09{\pm}0.67$), rice ($4.01{\pm}0.77$), soup ($4.01{\pm}0.64$), kimchi ($3.84{\pm}0.86$). For food preferences, the noodle was ranked highest while vegetables showed the lowest. Overall, support will be needed to develop diverse menus for students. This study suggests the need for active nutrition education for establishing proper eating habits.