Elementary, Middle and High School Teachers' Opinions of School Foodservice Programs

ABSTRACT

This study investigated elementary, middle, and high school teachers' satisfaction, nutrition education, workload changes, and demands in school foodservice programs (SFPs). The subjects were 630 teachers at 12 elementary, 9 middle, and 9 high school within the nation. Ninety five percent of the teachers felt that there was a necessity for SFPs. Middle school teachers (MTs) and high school teachers (HTs) thought that it was necessary in order to reduce the students'burden of carrying lunch boxes. The teachers were relatively satisfied with their school's foodservice management types, food distribution types, meal quality, and sanitation. Elementary teachers (ETs) and HTs had a higher satisfaction than MTs. Teachers thought that SFPs had positive effects on their students' nutrition and health, enhancing desirable eating habits, and socialization. ETs had more positive opinions than MTs or HTs. ETs and MTs thought that their workload had been increased by SFPs more than HTs, but they had relatively positive opinions on the workload change. ETs taught nutrition and health through SFPs more frequently than MTs or HTs. Many teachers thought that there was a lack of appropriate teaching materials. Some teachers thought that the problems in the present SFPs were a lack of cafeteria facilities, poor quality of meals, and management of leftovers. Their demands for SFPs were a improvement of meal quality and the establishment of cafeterias. In conclusion, MTs had more negative opinions than ETs or HTs. ETs perceived that SFPs had a function as an important educational activity as well as the supply of nutritional meals. MTs or HTs tended to consider only a meal. It is suggested that teachers, especially MTs and HTs, should modify their attitudes and recognize the educational functions of SFPs. Training programs should be developed under government auspices.