J Nutr Health.  2022 Dec;55(6):699-708. 10.4163/jnh.2022.55.6.699.

Effect of nutrition education by childcare teachers on food serving sizes

• Park H
• Heo J
• Cho W

• KMID: 2537859
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.4163/jnh.2022.55.6.699

Abstract

Purpose
Adequate nutrition is to be provided for normal growth and development during early childhood. Currently, childcare teachers provide lunch to most children in Korea. The purpose of this study was to investigate the portion size provided by teachers and examine the effect of education on food serving size.
Methods
The subjects were childcare teachers (n = 120) in charge of children aged 3–5 years at a daycare center in Hanam-si. The survey was conducted through questionnaires which included questions on the general characteristics of the teachers, their nutritional education status, and the source of nutrition information. In addition, the portion sizes of items on the menu currently provided to children were measured and the data were analyzed. To assess the effectiveness of education in determining serving size, the subjects were randomly equally divided into two groups. In the first group (n = 60) theoretical education on nutrition and serving sizes was given, whereas in the second (n = 60), practical education on these topics was provided.
Results
The difference between the actual portion size of rice and the serving size announced on the menu was observed to decrease along with the increase in the experience of the teacher, although the differences in the main dish and kimchi were higher. The gap between the serving size mentioned in the menu and the portion size distributed widened as the age of the teachers increased. Notably, the difference between the portion size and the serving size of food decreased after both practical and theoretical education. Furthermore, the effect of education on the serving size of the main dishes (p < 0.001), side dishes (p < 0.01), and kimchi (p < 0.01) was observed to be greater in the practical education group than in the theoretical education group.
Conclusion
Regular education should be provided to teachers on the serving sizes mentioned in the menu, as the quantity of food served depends on the experience and age of teachers. In the case of rice, theoretical education alone sufficed to ensure a proper serving size. However, hands-on training on the main and side dishes, and kimchi would be much more helpful.

Keyword

serving size; portion size; child care; food intake; education