• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.17 no.3
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• pp.312-320
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• 2012

The purpose of this study was to investigate the perception of the school dietitian on superior agricultural products (SAP) and the status of using superior agricultural products in school meals. Questionnaires were distributed to 185 school dietitians after face to face interview, and a total of 181 responses were used for analysis. 82.3% of the respondents were using SAPs in school meals and there was a significant difference between elementary school (95.1%), middle school (76.8%) and high school (66.7%) dietitians (p < 0.001). 85.2% of the dietitians, who were using SAP, were purchasing SAPs through electronic bidding, and the main reason of not using SAPs was the higher price of SAPs than that of general agricultural products. The good agricultural practices (GAP) product was considered the most appropriate agricultural products for school meals by the majority of respondents (66.9%), and organic products was the next (13.3%). In addition, the most important selection criterion for a SAP perceived by school dietitians was safety (58.0%), and the main reason of using SAPs in school meals, when two choices were allowed, was 'to provide healthful food to children' (98.9%). The major barriers to using SAPs in school meals (two choices were allowed) were 'too expensive' (73.5%) and 'unstable supply' (32.6). In conclusion, it was suggested that there should be an improvement in SAP supply and management systems to increase the use of SAPs in school meals.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.92-112
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• 2021

This study compared the job satisfaction and job importance of school dietitians according to various school types in Sejong. One hundred and twenty-six school dietitians working in kindergartens (n=36), elementary schools (n=42), middle schools (n=22), and high schools (n=26) participated in this questionnaire survey. The subjects were divided into four groups according to the school types. Half of the subjects were over 41 years of age, with 64.3% graduating from graduate school. The percentage of nutrition teachers was the highest in middle schools at 95.4%, followed by the elementary school at 90.5% and high school at 73.1%, whereas 100% of the kindergarten dietitians were not nutrition teachers (P<0.001). The percentage of the running status of nutrition education classes/activities was lowest in kindergartens (P<0.001). The job satisfaction score in the job itself area was significantly lower in kindergartens and high schools than in middle schools (P<0.01). The satisfaction scores of human relationships, working environment, personnel evaluation, and welfare did not differ significantly among the schools. As for the Job importance, the scores of nutrition counseling were significantly lower in middle school than in elementary and high schools (P<0.05). In cooking and distribution management, high schools were less important than other school levels (P<0.05). These findings highlight the need for the placement of nutrition teachers in kindergarten to promote nutrition education, the reduction of workload for school dietitians/nutrition teachers and additional placement of dietitians by the appropriate workload such as the number of people and meals to serve.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.222-232
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• 2016

Purpose: Sodium intake in school meals is very high. Accordingly, many health problems have emerged. The objective of this study was to assess school dietitian's awareness and practice of sodium contents in urban and rural locations schools and suggest sodium reduction plan in school meal service. Methods: A total of 524 nationwide school dietitians from elementary, middle, and high schools in south Korea were surveyed using questionnaires to determine their awareness and practicing behavior for reducing high-salt contents in meals. Sodium reduction plan was then suggested accordingly. Results: Most school dietitians (83%, n=436) were aware of the necessities of sodium reduction in school meals. They were aware of optimum sodium levels at 700-1000 mg. However, the percentages of dietitians who had practicing behavior of using measuring utensils for seasoning were 20.7% (n=108), 14.9% (n=78), and 13.5% (n=71) in elementary, middle, and high schools, respectively (p<0.001). Dietitians in urban elementary and middle schools had significantly (p<0.01) higher practicing behavior of using measuring utensils compared to those in rural locations. Considering low levels of soup contents with high amount of leftover, the desirable soup portions to be reduced were '50-100 mL' (n=66, 12.7%) for elementary school and '100-150 mL' for middle school (n=62, 12.0%) and high school (n=57, 11.0%, p<0.001). Conclusion: Dietitians' awareness for sodium reduction was high but their practicing behavior was relatively low. Thus, continuous efforts are required to develop reduced-sodium menu by promoting the use of measuring utensils when preparing meals and by planning no soup meal day or educating students and teachers about the importances of reducing sodium in school meals.

• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.406-418
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• 2020

This study aimed to investigate the dietary guidelines from the dietitians and parents' perceptions in kindergarten. The survey was carried out by 39 dietitians and 320 parents in kindergarten of Sejong city from April 18 to May 14, 2019. Approximately, 48.6% of dietitians responded that the amount of food provided was adjusted according to the age and weight of the infant. Both dietitians and parents responded the most to 'to build the right eating habits' as the reason for dietary guidance. As a guiding method for infants who sneaked unpleasant food, 62.9% of dietitians responded 'teach them about the wrong behavior on the spot', and 63.7% of parents stated 'talk about wrong behavior later'. The necessity of linking the dietary guidance between kindergarten and the family was recognized by dietitians and parents. The most important content for the linkage of the dietary guidance was 'correct eating manners and attitude'. The biggest problem in the dietitian's dietary guidance was the guidance on an unbalanced diet. Our results indicated differences in the dietary guidance contents of dietitians' and parents' perception of importance. Apparently, it is considered essential to link kindergarten with the family to provide correct and effective guidance for children.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.194-206
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• 2007

The purpose of this study was to identify dietitians' perception and purchasing pattern of fruits in elementary school lunch program. This study was conducted using mail survey from September 15 to October 30, 2006. Survey questionnaire was developed based on in-depth interview with three school food service dietitians. A total of 100 school food service dietitians in Seoul were participated. Based on the frequency analysis results, over half of respondents(69%) provides fruits every week, and 23% of respondents provides them twice a week. Strawberry, watermelon, apple, and mandarin were identified as the most frequently served fruits in Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, respectively. Sixty two percent of respondents indicated they offered imported fruits, such as banana and pineapple, less than 10% of total fruits. Ninety three percent of respondents selected private contract when they purchase fruits, and forty four percent of dietitians decided fruits purchasing procedure by themselves. Respondents addressed "Apples and Pears were appropriate for a dessert." and "Apples and Pears supply nutrition such as calorie and vitamin." as the advantages of offering apples and pears in school lunch menu. They also indicated difficulty in preparation work and many leftovers as the disadvantages of offering apples and pears. When purchasing apples and pears, dietitians considered taste as the first criteria and price as the second. Respondents perceived that elementary school students preferred apples and pears in a neutral level. Respondents also had higher preference for an-sim apples which can be eaten without peeling for school lunch menu and higher intentions to provide in school lunch menu. The survey results also found that respondents' intention to offer apples in school lunch menu was higher than intentions to offer pears. The implications to increase the chance of fruits offering in school lunch menu were discussed.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.141-158
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• 2018

The purpose of this study is to observe students' eating habits and to evaluate the necessity of high school breakfast service by surveying concerned persons such as high school dietitians, parents, and students to find practical solutions to decrease the breakfast-skipping rate of the high school students in Chungcheong. The data were collected from 75 dietitians, 584 students, and 420 parents. Parents and students participated the survey more positively, and the more monthly income participants' families had, the probability of participation increased by 1.5 times (OR=1.452). Parents suggested that breakfast should be offered at a lower price (1,000~2,000 won) than school lunch, and for the school breakfast cost, they preferred to bear the expense together with schools. For the type of breakfast, the dietitians preferred convenient foodservice (40.0%), the students preferred simple meals such as bread, milk, fruit and salad (3.97), and Kimbap, Joomukbap et al (3.93) rather than Korean traditional foods (3.76) such as rice, soup and side dish. The dietitians answered 'needed' and 'very much needed' to the necessity of breakfast relatively low by 30.7%. As the result of the study, the researchers suggest the execution of school breakfast program should start first for the students who cannot have breakfast at home. Moreover, more studies should be conducted to reduce the constantly increasing rate of breakfast-skipping rate of high school students.

• Journal of the East Asian Society of Dietary Life
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• v.18 no.2
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• pp.253-263
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• 2008

This study examined the menu management and utilization of cooking equipment at school foodservice operations in the Chonbuk area. Self-administered questionnaires were collected from a total of 193 school dietitians. Statistical data analysis was completed using the SPSS v. 11.5 program. The results are summarized as follows. Among the 193 schools, 58.5% were elementary schools and 41.5% were middle and high schools. Approximately 97% of the schools prepared meals in the conventional manner. Among the school, 68.4% had a menu cycle of 1${\sim}$2 weeks. The frequency of using convenience foods was significantly different between the elementary schools and middle and high schools(p<0.001). Approximately 45% of the dietitians responded that the most important details for menu planning were menu variety and consumer preference. However, 66.8% of the dietitians responded that a key problem for menu planning was limited and worn-out kitchen equipment. Although the cost of purchasing cooking equipment is high, most dietitians responded they have high needs for equipment in order to meet of the quantity demands of food production. In terms of utilized cooking equipment, most schools had mixers, vegetable cutters, choppers, dish washers, etc. Yet the amenities most often lacking were meat slicers, composting machines, ovens, and griddles. In utilizing the cooking equipment, there was no significant difference between the dietitians in the elementary(3.67) schools and those in the middle and high school foodservice systems(3.70); however, the utilization level was poor. Therefore, governmental regulatory agencies should review and finance support for purchasing cooking equipment. Finally, purchasing analysis was conducted regarding the dietitians' opinions on menu recipes and useful equipment.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.12 no.6
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• pp.815-825
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• 2007

The study was designed to investigate food waste management practices and to identify factors affecting food waste generation at school food services. A total of 202 dietitians employed at elementary schools participated in the survey. The mean food waste weight per school was 77.54 kg, forty percent of the schools generated food waste of $50{\sim}100kg$ every day and 53% generated plate waste less than 50 kg. Three quarters of the dietitians perceived plate waste as a major component of the food waste and vegetable dishes were a major source of the plate waste. Half of the dietitians used a food waste pick-up service for waste disposal, which was the most preferred waste disposal method. Approximately 90% of the dietitians conducted education on plate waste reduction for students but their perceptions on the effectiveness of the education was inconsistent. The contents were environmental issues (70.3%) and unbalanced food choice (56.7%). According to factor analysis based on performance score, solid waste management practices were grouped into 'information collecting and education', 'supervision of production process', 'cooperation with related groups', and 'control over production planning'. Practices appertaining to 'cooperation with related groups', 'information collecting and education' factor need to be improved. Dietitians should pay attention to 'recycle and reuse of left over' practice. Waste generation differed significantly by dietitians' ages and working experience. In order to reduce plate waste, more effective education materials and methods need to be developed and support from principals, teachers, and parents is necessary.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.10 no.4
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• pp.546-554
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between the levels of foodservice management activities and job satisfaction of the dietitians in elementary schools. Out of 130 questionnaires distributed to elementary school dietitians in Incheon, 127 were returned and analyzed ($98\%$ response rate). The questionnaire included two multiple-item scales for measuring foodservice management activities and job satisfaction, respectively. All the items in the scales were coded 1 to 5 for 'certainly no', 'no', 'neutral', 'yes', and 'certainly yes' and grouped by using factor analyses. Most of the responding dietitians were working for schools in urban areas and have independently managed on-site kitchens. The 19 items on food service management activities were grouped into 6 factors and the mean scores of the levels of Personnel Hygiene Management, Education & Training, Sanitation & Safety Management, Menu Quality Management, Service Management, and Environment Management were 4.76, 4.26, 4.24,4. 05, 3.61 and 3.39, respectively. The 23 items on job satisfaction were grouped into 4 factors and the mean scores of the satisfaction levels of Systematic Environment, Job Duty, Job Condition, and Physical Environment were 3.38, 2.83, 2.53, and 2.08, respectively. Overall, the levels of food service management activities and job satisfaction were positively associated with a correlation coefficient of 0.254 (p > 0.01). In particular, satisfaction levels on job duty itself and systematic environment were positively associated with the levels of overall management activities. The results suggest that improving dietitians' job satisfaction could increase the levels of management activities of school foodservice dietitians, resulting in quality improvement of school food service.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.9 no.2
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• pp.159-170
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• 1994

Central commissary school foodservice operations' practices and their dietitians' job duties were assessed and compared with those of their counterpart of conventional school foodservice operations to find out strategies for early settlement and better management for commissary system. Survey qestionnaires consisted of general background, employees' work schedule and dietitians' job duties. 12 commissary schools(out of 22 existing in Korea) and 77 conventional schools from Kyungkido were participated in the survey. The results of this study can be summarized as follows: 1. Central commissary school foodservice was presently utilized at 5 schools from islands type, 11 schools from rural type, and 6 schools from urban type, consisting total of 22 commissary schools, and 52 satellite schools. 2. Dietitians were evenly employed with their experiences, 55.5% were those with less than 2 years of experience, 44.6% were those with more than 2 years of experience. 3. Commissary schools employed more full-time empolyees$(1.8{\pm}0.7)$ than conventional schools$(0.3{\pm}0.5)$, however as far as the production capacity was concerned, only the part-time employees played significant roles(p<.01). Regardless of the number of students, an absolute number of full-time employees were employed, and their duties were not carried out efficiently. The part-time employees of commissary schools performed more loaded work compared to their counterparts in conventional schools. 4. Out of the dietitians' foodservice duties, 'basic food service production$(3.9{\pm}0.7)$' were carried out adequately, whereas 'nutrition education and advertisement$(2.5{\pm}0.6)$' and 'administrative affairs and information related duties$(2.8{\pm}0.9)$' were not. In order to enhance their working capacity, systematic organizational reforms are imminent. 5. Survey results also showed that dietitians performed less duties at satellite school than at the central commissary. This indicates more systematic foodservice management practices are urgently needed.