A Study on Improvement of School Lunch Programs and Its Health and Education Effect in Korea

학교급식효과(學校給食效果)와 제도개선(制度改善)에 관(關)한 연구(硏究)

The purpose of school lunch service programs (SLPs) is to provide school children with nutritious meals each day, to assist them in improving their mental and physical development, to make them understand the basic knowledge needed for healthy daily living throughout their lives with sound nutritional habits, and further, to enhance the national health status as well as the individual. The major purpose of this study is to describe the history and current status and promotional plans in Korea's SLSPs to improve the nation's health status. The major findings of this study are as follow: 1) The progression of the SLSPs can be devided into four major periods: Relief (1953-1972), Self-supportive (1973-1977), System-establishment (1973-1983), System-development(1984- ). 2) As result of the implementation of SLSPs in Korea, many positive effects have been found in school education, notably in the field of physical growth, social development and personality cultivation. 3) This study deals with a more detailed assessment with regard to the effects of the program on school education activities and the improvement of nutritional habits in the family. Although it is limited and not yet complete, the program implementation has contributed to the improvement in children's food-intake habits, understanding of food, and manners, and increased sanitary consciousness. It has also affected of parent's concerns and attitudes towards the improvement of daily meals as well as national eating patterns, and eventually provided motivation for increased farm production of nutritious food stuffs and reasonable food consumption. 4) The SLSPs does have its stare of problem such as an unsatisfactory budget, lack of understanding of the program by school personnel and parents. However, there is no doubt that the SLSPs should be carried out effectively for better health, and especially for the growth and development of the children. Finally, the problems and promotive Plans of the SLSPs can be approached by aspects of the administrative, financial and operational systems. These system have to coordinate with relevant authorities to expand participation in the program for the successful implementation of the SLSPs. The eventual objective this study is to propose ways and means for mobilizing every available element in the effort to attain the goals of educating and training healthy and competent personnel manpower, stabilizing the demand and supply of food and the ensuring adequate coordination of national food production and consumption.