The middle and high school students lead a busy life with their studying. They haven't been eating regularly despite the importance of balanced nutrition as teenagers in adolescence, and their frequent skipping meals have become a problem. As part of ...
The middle and high school students lead a busy life with their studying. They haven't been eating regularly despite the importance of balanced nutrition as teenagers in adolescence, and their frequent skipping meals have become a problem. As part of a solution to skipping breakfast, the Seoul government tried to provide students, who skip breakfast, with breakfast(convenient breakfast) and notify them of healthy dietary life through nutritional education by operating Good Morning Breakfast clubs. So this study was intended to figure out the effect of operating them on their students' dietary habits before and after operating breakfast clubs at middle and high schools designated as breakfast clubs by the Seoul government. To achieve this, a survey was carried out on students in middle and high school operating breakfast clubs by same questionnaires at the commencement and the end of breakfast clubs. The contents of a survey were based on the precedent project of the health cafeteria union operated by the Seoul government in 2011. The contents of questionnaires were composed of the general aspects of those surveyed, the status of dietary habits, the practice of dietary life, the perception of fruits and vegetables, and the effect of food preference and purchase intention.
Research subjects were 204 students who participate in the survey before and after operating them. An analysis included those who don't answer some of all survey questions. Male students and female students among all subjects of 204 persons were 75 persons(36.8%) and 129 persons(63.2%), respectively. The average age of male students and female students was 14.5 and 15.5, respectively. The average height of male students and female students was 167.7cm and 160.9cm, respectively. The average weight of male students and female students was 56.5kg and 53.3kg, respectively. In the classification into obesity, the obesity of underweight group, normal group, overweight group and obese group was 30.0%, 51.7%, 12.2% and 6.1%, respectively.
In the breakfast of dietary habits, the number of all students, both male students and female students responding that they do not have breakfast has decreased after participation in the survey. And the number of them responding that they do have breakfast 6 to 7 times a week has more increased than before participation(p<0.001). At this stage of pre-survey, the main reason for skipping breakfast showed that 'because I have no time' was the highest by 25.8%, followed by ‘because I get up late’ by 22.4%, and ‘because I have no appetite’ by 16.7%. In the lunch of dietary habits, the response of 'I have lunch 6 to 7 times a week' in all students, both male students and female students has more decreased than before participation(p<0.001). In the dinner of dietary habits, the response of 'I have lunch 6 to 7 times a week' in all students and male students has more increased than before participation(p<0.001, p<0.01). In the snack of dietary habits, the average frequency of snack a week in all students and female students has increased after participation(p<0.001).
In the practice of dietary life, 55.2% of all students, 46.0% of male students and 60.6% of female students responded that they had experience in nutritional education before participation. The perception of dietary habit guideline in all students, both male students and female students has increased after participation(p<0.001, p<0.01, p<0.01). In the practice of dietary habit guideline by each item, the response of ‘I don't practice it’ has increased in all items after participation. The practice will of dietary habit guideline in all students and male students has increased after participation(p<0.01, p<0.05).
The perception of fruits and vegetables showed that the response of ‘I usually eat a lot of fruits’ in all students, both male students and female students has increased after participation. The response of ‘I usually eat a lot of fruits very much’ in all students and male students has increased after participation(p<0.001, p<0.05). The response of ‘I usually eat a lot of vegetables’ in male students has increased after participation(p<0.001), while the response of ‘I usually eat a lot of vegetables’ in female students has decreased after participation(p<0.001). The perception of fruits(apples) intake once a day in all students and female students has increased after participation(p<0.001). The perception of vegetables(greens) intake once a day in all students and female students has increased after participation(p<0.001). The change of perception related to the intake of fruits showed that the response of ‘One of my habits is to eat fruits every day’ in all students has increased after participation(p<0.001). The change of perception related to the intake of vegetables showed that the response of ‘It is hard for me to eat vegetables every day’ in all students has decreased after participation(p<0.05).
As for the results of this study, the operation of breakfast clubs has increased the number of students who have breakfast every morning. Besides, it has increased the practice of dietary habit guideline and the perception of fruits and vegetables after participation in breakfast clubs. In light of these results, the breakfast clubs will help learn and practice balanced nutrition, healthy and good dietary habits by providing middle and high school students in adolescence with breakfast(convenient breakfast) and regular nutritional education.