Utilization Status and Awareness of School Foodservice Dietitians Regarding Medicinal Cuisine in Yeoungdong, Gangwon-do

ABSTRACT

This study investigated the attitudes of dietitians regarding medicinal cuisine for school meal services. Data was obtained with self-administered questionnaires from 261 dietitians in schools located in Yeoungdong, Gangwon-do. Subjects were distributed into three groups (Elementary=116, Middle=106, High=39) and their awareness, satisfaction, cooking method, and utilization status of medicial cuisine were assessed. Regarding awareness, responders showed highest mean score of 4.57 in perceiving medical cuisines as healthy meal. The preferred cooking method includes medicinal cuisines as noodle, boiled in soy sauce, steaming, roasting, and dessert. Good taste, easy recipe, nutrition, and reasonable price were statistically significant reasons for their preference for medicinal cuisine. However, low preference of students for medicinal cuisine made it difficult to include them into school meals. Methods currently used to serve more medicinal cuisine include the application of different recipes using the same ingredients. The results of this study suggest that having dietitians with a higher preference for medicinal cuisine can serve as a strategy to increase the exposure of school students to medicinal cuisine. The development of recipes applicable to school foodservices by dieticians and the adoption of policies and education programs for medicinal cuisine by the government and associations are recommended.