일부 초등학교 고학년생의 그린데이 운영에 대한 인식 및 식습관과 채식 메뉴 기호도

Dietary Habits, Menu Preference, and Perception for Green Day Operation of 4th-6th Graders in Seoul

Background/Objects: This study was conducted to investigate the awareness of elementary school students regarding Green Day (Vegetarian day) operation and compare the perception of Green Day, preference for vegetarian menus, and dietary habits of students according to pros and cons of operating Green Day. Methods: The self-administered survey was conducted on 4th to 6th grade students (295 boys and 352 girls) at an elementary school in Seoul. Results: The significances of differences were analyzed in variables between two groups; 459 who were in favor of Green Day and 188 who were against. Without significant difference between the groups, approximately one-third of all students responded that they were not aware that Green Day was being implemented. The most important results of this study were that elementary school students who supported the implementation of Green Day consumed more vegetables per meal and more dairy products, skipped breakfast less often, checked food labels more often when purchasing processed foods, and exhibited higher preferences for all the vegetarian menus analyzed in this survey except soybean meat jajang than their counterpart, with statistical significance. For the most necessary strategy for Green Day to be operated well, approximately 2.5 times students in favor suggested 'education on the benefits and necessity of a vegetarian diet' and approximately 2 times students who opposed did 'menu-planning reflecting students preference', compared with their counterparts. Without a significant difference between groups, more than three quarters answered that they have knowledge on the benefits of vegetarian diet and the most principal sources of knowledge was family/friends, followed by Books/newspapers > Internet > School/teachers > TV. Conclusion: These results are expected to provide basic data for exploring strategies to expand Green Day operation in school lunches.