학부모의 유치원급식 품질속성에 관한 인식 = Parents' perceptions on kindergarten foodservice quality attributes

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the overall status and
perceptions of parents of 3–5-year-old children enrolled in public
independent and private kindergartens in Cheongju regarding foodservice
quality attributes, nutrition education, and nutrition counseling, and to
provide basic data for improving the quality of kindergarten foodservice
and for developing substantive nutrition education and counseling programs.
Early childhood is a critical period in which physical development
progresses and eating habits are formed, and the dietary attitudes
established during this period influence health throughout the lifelong
health. Recently, with the increase in dual-income households and high
kindergarten enrollment rates, the role and responsibility of kindergartens
in guiding young children’s dietary habits have been strengthened. In
particular, since kindergartens were included as institutions subject to the
School Meals Act in 2021, the public nature and accountability of
foodservice operations have been reinforced; however, empirical studies
reflecting the changed environment after the amendment of the Act remain
insufficient. Accordingly, this study aimed to derive policy implications by
comprehensively analyzing parents’ perceptions within the changed legal
and institutional context.
For the research methods, an online and offline questionnaire survey was
conducted with parents of kindergarten children in Cheongju from
September 1 to September 17, 2025, and a total of 195 valid responses
were analyzed using SPSS version 31.0. Frequency analysis, descriptive
statistics, chi-square tests, independent samples t-tests, and importance–
performance analysis (IPA) were performed to derive the following
findings.
First, regarding the current status of kindergarten foodservice operations
and related perceptions, parents’ level of interest in foodservice was 3.78
points, which was above the midpoint, whereas the participation rate in
foodservice monitoring was only 5.6%, indicating a gap between awareness
and participation. In particular, the proportion of parents who perceived that
foodservice monitoring was not implemented was higher in private
kindergartens than in public independent kindergartens (p<.001), suggesting
the need to increase openness in operations. The most preferred appropriate
meal time was 30–40 minutes, and parents preferred individualized portion
control based on the professional judgment of dietitians/nutrition teachers.
Second, analysis of satisfaction with foodservice quality attributes
showed that public independent kindergartens demonstrated higher
satisfaction than private kindergartens across all 22 items. In particular,
satisfaction was relatively lower in private kindergartens for items
requiring investment in facilities and equipment, such as “food temperature”
(p<.01), “hygienic cooking and serving” (p<.05), and “use of fresh
ingredients” (p<.05), suggesting that improvement of the physical
environment is urgently needed. In contrast, regardless of the type of
establishment, satisfaction was relatively low for “serving foods in shapes
that children like” and “menus reflecting children’s preferences,” indicating
that reflecting young children’s food preferences is a common weak area.
IPA results showed that “providing a variety of menus” was derived as a
“Focus here” quadrant, with high importance but low performance
regardless of establishment type, confirming that diversification of menus is
a top priority task.
Third, analysis of the current status of and perceptions regarding
nutrition education revealed that parents recognized the need for nutrition
education at a high level (4.29 points, p<.05) and primarily regarded
“forming desirable eating habits” as its main purpose. However, while the
currently implemented educational method was predominantly
“lecture-based/explanatory” (65.3%), parents preferred “children’s cooking
practice” (32.8%) and “play/activity-based” approaches (29.7%), revealing a
discrepancy between the way education is operated in practice and parents’
demands. In the IPA of nutrition education content, “eating a balanced diet
(correcting unbalanced diet)” emerged as the highest-priority area for
improvement, with high importance but low performance across all groups.
Fourth, the analysis of the current state of nutrition counseling showed
that although 94.9% of parents wished to participate in counseling, the
actual experience rate was only 17.9%, indicating that nutrition counseling
is not being sufficiently implemented relative to the level of potential
demand. Even among those with counseling experience, one-time
counseling or counseling conducted in the classroom predominated,
indicating that professional counseling environments and sustainable
operational systems are inadequate. Parents identified “lack of programs” as
the main factor hindering the revitalization of nutrition counseling and most
preferred individual counseling on “improving eating habits.”
Fifth, “hygienic and safe food preparation” and “expansion of menu
diversity” were identified as priority needs for improving foodservice
quality. In addition, to promote nutrition education and counseling, “budget
support” (3.87 points) and “placement of nutrition teachers” (3.84 points)
were found to be the most urgent needs, and parents of private
kindergartens perceived the necessity of placing nutrition teachers
significantly more strongly than those of public independent kindergartens
(p<.05).
Based on these results, this study makes the following suggestions.
First, to reduce the gap in foodservice environments between public
independent and private kindergartens, financial investments such as
modernization of foodservice facilities and support for serving equipment at
the level of the provincial office of education and local governments should
be prioritized, and guidelines for portioning and meal duration that consider
child development need to be established. Second, it is necessary to move
away from traditional lecture-based education and to develop and
disseminate experiential nutrition education content, such as cooking
practice and play-centered activities, that can stimulate young children’s
interest. Third, in order to address the core needs of “menu diversity” and
“eating a balanced diet (correcting unbalanced diet)” identified in the IPA
analysis, research on menus that reflect children’s preferences and the
development of practice- and participation-centered nutrition education
programs for correcting unbalanced diet are required. Fourth, for
systematic and professional nutrition management, the institutional
placement of nutrition teachers in kindergartens, including private
institutions, should be expanded, and standardized nutrition counseling
manuals should be developed and disseminated to meet parents’ high demand for counseling.
This study is significant in that it comparatively analyzed the status and
perceptions of public independent and private kindergartens in the
kindergarten foodservice environment after the application of the School
Meals Act and derived practical priorities for improvement through IPA. It
is expected that the results of this study will serve as basic data for the
establishment of kindergarten foodservice policies, improvement of on-site
operations, and the development of nutrition education and counseling
programs to promote young children’s health.

목차 (Table of Contents)

• Ⅰ. 서 론1
• 1. 연구배경 및 필요성 1
• 2. 연구 목적 5
• Ⅱ. 이론적 배경 6
• 1. 유아기 발달과 영양 6
• 2. 유치원 급식 8
• 1) 유치원 현황 및 유형 8
• 2) 유치원 급식의 중요성10
• 3. 유치원 급식 관련 법규12
• 1) 유치원 3법 개정 12
• 2) 유치원의 학교급식법 적용 14
• 4. 유치원 영양교육 및 상담 17
• 1) 영양교육의 정의 17
• 2) 유아 대상 영양교육 18
• 3) 유아 대상 영양상담 20
• Ⅲ. 연구내용 및 방법 21
• 1. 조사대상 및 기간 21
• 2. 조사내용 및 방법 21
• 1) 조사 대상의 일반 사항 및 유치원 급식소 운영 실태 21
• 2) 유치원 급식에 대한 인식22
• 3) 유치원 영양교육에 대한 현황 및 인식22
• 4) 유치원 영양상담에 대한 현황 및 인식22
• 5) 유치원 급식 품질 향상을 위한 필요성 인식 23
• 3. 통계분석방법24
• Ⅳ. 연구결과 및 고찰 25
• 1. 조사대상의 일반적 특징 25
• 1) 조사대상 학부모 및 유아의 일반 사항25
• 2) 자녀가 재원 중인 유치원 급식소 운영 실태 27
• 2. 유치원 급식에 대한 인식 28
• 1) 유치원 급식에 대한 인식28
• 2) 유치원 급식 품질속성에 대한 만족도 33
• 3) 유치원 급식 품질속성에 대한 IPA 분석40
• (1) 유치원 급식 품질속성에 대한 중요도-수행도 점수 40
• (2) 유치원 급식 품질속성에 대한 중요도-수행도 분석도표 45
• 3. 유치원 영양교육에 대한 현황 및 인식 50
• 1) 유치원 영양교육에 대한 현황 50
• 2) 유치원 영양교육에 대한 인식 55
• 3) 유치원 영양교육에 대한 만족도61
• 4) 유치원 영양교육에 대한 IPA 분석 65
• (1) 유치원 영양교육 내용에 대한 중요도-수행도 점수 65
• (2) 유치원 영양교육에 대한 중요도-수행도 분석도표70
• 4. 유치원 영양상담에 대한 현황 및 인식 78
• 1) 유치원 영양상담에 대한 현황 78
• 2) 유치원 영양상담에 대한 인식 82
• 3) 유치원 영양상담에 대한 만족도88
• 5. 유치원 급식 품질 향상을 위한 필요성 인식 89
• 1) 유치원 급식 품질 개선 방안에 대한 필요성 인식 89
• 2) 유치원 영양교육 및 영양상담 활성화 방안에 대한 필요성 인식 93
• Ⅴ. 결론 및 제언 97
• 참고문헌104
• Abstract 109
• 부록114