• The Korean Journal of Food And Nutrition
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.406-418
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• 2020

This study aimed to investigate the dietary guidelines from the dietitians and parents' perceptions in kindergarten. The survey was carried out by 39 dietitians and 320 parents in kindergarten of Sejong city from April 18 to May 14, 2019. Approximately, 48.6% of dietitians responded that the amount of food provided was adjusted according to the age and weight of the infant. Both dietitians and parents responded the most to 'to build the right eating habits' as the reason for dietary guidance. As a guiding method for infants who sneaked unpleasant food, 62.9% of dietitians responded 'teach them about the wrong behavior on the spot', and 63.7% of parents stated 'talk about wrong behavior later'. The necessity of linking the dietary guidance between kindergarten and the family was recognized by dietitians and parents. The most important content for the linkage of the dietary guidance was 'correct eating manners and attitude'. The biggest problem in the dietitian's dietary guidance was the guidance on an unbalanced diet. Our results indicated differences in the dietary guidance contents of dietitians' and parents' perception of importance. Apparently, it is considered essential to link kindergarten with the family to provide correct and effective guidance for children.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.27 no.4
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• pp.209-231
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• 2021

The purpose of this study was to compare differences between essential tasks and delegable tasks among public kindergarten dietitians. A survey study was conducted through a self-administered online method from November 18 to December 28, 2019. The survey consisted of essential tasks and delegable tasks, including 6 Duties, 25 Tasks, and 94 Task Elements. The survey was distributed to a sample of 500 kindergartens in Korea, after excluding incomplete surveys and outliers, and a total of 224 responses were used for the analysis. Descriptive statistics were used to compare essential tasks and delegable tasks. The results show that 'Duty A. Nutrition Management', 'Duty B. Foodservice Management Practices', 'Duty C. Hygiene management of kindergarten foodservice', 'Duty D. Nutrition-Diet Education and counseling', and 'Duty F. Professionalism Enhancement' were recognized as essential tasks to be performed by kindergarten dietitians. All 16 tasks elements (100.0%) in 'Duty E. Managing snacks during semesters, and lunch/snack during breaks' were identified as delegable tasks. In conclusion, most tasks were recognized as essential tasks to be performed by kindergarten dietitians. On the other hand, 'Duty E. Managing Snacks during semesters, and lunch/snack during breaks' was considered a delegable task by public-attached kindergarten dietitians. It is recommended that public-attached kindergartens should consider additional workforce related to 'Duty E'. This study is expected to offer basic data on laws and regulations about the duties of kindergarten dietitians.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.28 no.1
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• pp.1-18
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• 2022

This study was conducted to estimate the appropriate workforce of dietitians by type of kindergarten through the recognition survey and job analysis of the kindergarten. Nutritionists' duties were classified into 6 duties, 28 tasks and 94 task elements. The statistical data analysis was completed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) (ver. 25.0). The time spent on 6 duties, including 'Nutrition management' (public attached 666.24 hours/year, public independent 843.04 hours/year), 'Foodservice management Practices' (public attached 1,472.52 hours/year, public independent 1,298.11 hours/year), 'Hygiene management of kindergarten foodservice' (public attached 611.78 hours/year, public independent 607.18 hours/year), 'Nutrition-diet education and counseling' (public attached 340.53 hours/year, public independent 253.42 hours/year), 'Managing snack during semesters and lunch/snacks during breaks' (public independent 309.04 hours/year) and 'Professionalism enhancement' (public attached 88.86 hours/year; public independent 65.17 hours/year). Total working hours for dietitians were 3,179.94 hours/year (public attached) and 3,375.97 hours/year (public independent). The time/day ×5 days/week ×52 weeks/year calculation method using derived total working hours/year was applied to derive appropriate full-time equivalents (FTEs). The analysis showed that the public attached kindergarten's FTEs were 1.53. The public independent's FTEs were 1.62, and the total FTEs were 1.55. This is the first study to analyze the workload of kindergarten dietitians and appropriate manpower by kindergarten establishment type. It is expected to be a valuable policy basis for efficient operation measures related to the kindergarten dietitians.

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.62-74
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• 2018

The purpose of this study was to investigate dietitians or nutrition teachers' perception of sugar reduction and usage of sugars in school meal service. A survey was conducted for dietitians or nutrition teachers at elementary, middle, and high schools in Gyeonggi and Incheon. Survey data were analyzed according to the experience period and school types of dietitians or nutrition teachers. The numbers of subjects according to work experience period were 134 (44.2%) for <5 years, 68 (22.4%) for ${\geq}5$ and <10 years, and 101 (33.3%) for ${\geq}10years$. Among the subjects, 168 (55.4%) were nutrition teachers at kindergarten/elementary schools, and 135 (44.6%) were at middle/high/special schools. Perceptions of sugar reduction programs were higher in kindergarten/elementary schools than in middle/high/special schools. The perception of added sugar use increased with more work experience, and interest in sugar reduction was higher in kindergarten/elementary schools than in middle/high/special schools. Practice for added sugar reduction increased with more work experience, and the most common method for reducing sugar was use of natural sugars. The main reason for not reducing added sugars in school meals was due to preference. Nutritional education for students increased with more work experience and was higher in kindergarten/elementary schools than in middle/high/special schools. The major nutritional education methods were using school homepage (37.4%), sending family letters (37.4%), and using principle's discretion time (18.4%). Organic sugar and rice taffy were used more at kindergarten/elementary schools, and white sugar, brown sugar, and white syrup were used more at middle/high/special schools. The most common menu using added sugars was stir-fried dishes (stir-fried pork, chicken, and vegetables).

• Journal of the Korean Dietetic Association
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• v.27 no.2
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• pp.92-112
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• 2021

This study compared the job satisfaction and job importance of school dietitians according to various school types in Sejong. One hundred and twenty-six school dietitians working in kindergartens (n=36), elementary schools (n=42), middle schools (n=22), and high schools (n=26) participated in this questionnaire survey. The subjects were divided into four groups according to the school types. Half of the subjects were over 41 years of age, with 64.3% graduating from graduate school. The percentage of nutrition teachers was the highest in middle schools at 95.4%, followed by the elementary school at 90.5% and high school at 73.1%, whereas 100% of the kindergarten dietitians were not nutrition teachers (P<0.001). The percentage of the running status of nutrition education classes/activities was lowest in kindergartens (P<0.001). The job satisfaction score in the job itself area was significantly lower in kindergartens and high schools than in middle schools (P<0.01). The satisfaction scores of human relationships, working environment, personnel evaluation, and welfare did not differ significantly among the schools. As for the Job importance, the scores of nutrition counseling were significantly lower in middle school than in elementary and high schools (P<0.05). In cooking and distribution management, high schools were less important than other school levels (P<0.05). These findings highlight the need for the placement of nutrition teachers in kindergarten to promote nutrition education, the reduction of workload for school dietitians/nutrition teachers and additional placement of dietitians by the appropriate workload such as the number of people and meals to serve.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.9 no.6
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• pp.716-724
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• 2004

The purpose of this study was to investigate the elementary school dietitian's status and recognition of nutrition education (NE) in Incheon. A cross-sectional study was carried out using a self-administered questionnaire and subjects were 100 elementary school dietitians. The results are as follows. As for training in NE, $61.2\%$ of the dietitians attended training in NE. After training in NE, $86.5\%$ of the dietitians who attended training in NE were more concerned about NE. Also $59.5\%$ of the dietitians gave students NE and most of them did as a weekly printout 2-4 times per month. There was a significant difference in experience of NE for teachers between subgroups by experience of training in NE; while $48.1\%$ of the dietitians with training in NE gave teachers NE, $20.0\%$ of the dietitians without training in NE gave teachers NE. The main reason for not giving NE was too much work load and low concern of school administration. Also $96.4\%$ of the dietitians answered that NE is necessary in elementary school and the main reason for being necessary was correction of unbalanced diet and good table manner, As for proper time to start NE for children, $51.8\%$ of dietitians answered 'kindergarten' and $45.8\%$ of them answered 'lower grade of elementary school'. As for effective type for NE, $59.5\%$ of the dietitians answered 'NE as a part of other subject' and $23.8\%$ of them answered 'NE as a separate subject'. Also $79.5\%$ of the dietitians answered 'teacher' as the suitable person for NE. Most of the dietitians recognized menu formation as the ideal major work load and office work as the most time-consuming work load. As to job satisfaction, most of them were dissatisfied with office work and NE. Therefore, it is nationally supported for elementary school students' health and well-being that school dietitians as NE specialists give NE with minimizing their office work and developing a standardized NE program.

• Korean journal of food and cookery science
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• v.28 no.3
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• pp.229-240
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• 2012

This study is about the current nutrition education by nutrition teachers and dietitians, and their perception of nutrition education. This study was conducted to discover problems in nutrition education and to set a right direction for such education. A total of 216 nutrition teachers and dietitians, in Gyeongnam, were examined. The results were as follows. Exactly 95.4% of the subjects provided nutrition education to their students. They provided indirect nutrition education(69.9%), direct/indirect nutrition education(26.7%) and direct nutrition education(3.4%). 'Nutrition Counselling Room' was the most common means of direct nutrition education, while 'handout' was mostly used as indirect education. 'Desirable food & dietary habits' were the most included curriculum for indirect/direct nutrition education. The reasons for not providing direct nutrition education were 'because of heavy workload'(34.2%) and 'a lack of class hour for direct education'(29.6%). Exactly 52.8% of the subjects said they would actively promote direct nutrition education if they were given a chance. Exactly 83.3% of the subjects responded nutrition education should begin 'during the kindergarten year'. Exactly 64.4% of them said 'establishment of independent nutrition subject' was the most effective nutrition education. Exactly 58.8% of them responded educational curriculum should include 'desirable food & dietary habits'. Exactly 41.2% of them said 'establishment of a systematic educational program' was necessary to launch direct nutrition education. About the effect of nutrition education on changes in students' food & dietary habits, 2.27 scores out of 5 were earned in average. In other words, many nutrition teachers and dietitians believed that the current nutrition education had little effect on students' food & dietary habits.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.7 no.6
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• pp.781-793
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• 2002

This study was carried out to investigate the nutritional education status and the recognition of the importance of elementary school dietitians (N＝183) in the Gyeongnam area. The results are summarized as follows. All subjects took part in nutritional education program, but the educational methods were passive, as in the case of “home correspondence”(80.8%) and “bulletin board poster”(16.4%), and the education frequency was very low as in “one time/month”(90.2%). The subjects thought “as an independent subject”(41.5%) and “as a related subjects”(35.1%) were suitable teaching venues for the nutritional education. They were very low in individual counseling (4.5%) for school children because of “lack of opportunity”(42.2%) and “heavy work load”(24.1%). However, most of the subjects wished that nutritional counseling could offered in the future (95.5%). The parents＇ experience of nutritional education was also low (34.3%). Information sources for nutritional education were mainly the “internet”(53.1%) and “re-educational materials” (25.0%). The available instructional materials included “printed materials”(96.7%), “exhibition bulletin materials” (70.3%) and “electronic materials”(46.4%). The preferred education materials were “exhibitionㆍbulletin materials”(32.2%), “printed materials”(29.2%), and “electronic materials”(27.7%). However, materials they wished to purchase were “electronic materials”(54.5%) and “cubic materials”(26.0%). These results show a difference between the preferred materials and the possessed materials. Most school dietitians (98.4%) recognized the necessity of nutritional education with respect to “good table manners”(42.0%), “correction of food prejudices”(30.3%), and “proper nutrition for growth”(21.0%) Although they had a great interest in nutritional education, they had difficulty in cutting their teaming into practice because of “heavy work load”(30.9%), “lack of a systematic curriculum”(25.2%), and “lack of a educational opportunity”(22.8%). Ninety five percent of subjects wished to have nutrition education taught as an independent subject. They pointed out “kindergarten”(60.0%) and “lower grades in elementary school”(33.9%) as the optimal starting times for nutritional education and “school dietitians”(91.3%) as suitable teachers for these programs. The required topics chosen by the subjects for nutritional education for children were “proper eating habits”(54.2%) and “nutritional problem”(31.5%). The dietitians thought “food prejudices”(44.7%), “rat too much processed and instant foods”(36.5%), and “obesity”(11.8%) were the most common nutritional problems among elementary school children. These results suggest the necessity of solving the nutritional problems in children by developing a nutritional education program. Along with this program, if dietitian assisted programs for parents were developed, the effects of nutritional education could definitely be increased.

• Korean Journal of Community Nutrition
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• v.13 no.4
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• pp.540-554
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• 2008

The purpose of this study was to analyze task performance and importance level of the dietitian who is working in the public health nutrition area. Work oriented job analysis methodology was employed for the study purpose. Subjects of 38 dietitians currently working at health centers in 2002 were recruited. Based on the focus group interview with 7 public health nutritionists and 7 professors, information about task elements was collected. Questionnaires measuring work performance and self-perception of importance of the selected task elements were administered. The results of this study can be summarized as follows; 1) The tasks with high performance and importance level among 20 tasks are developing nutrition education material (B1), nutrition services for adults and the elderly (C3), writing the proposal for nutrition services (A2), evaluating service effect (A4), improving professionalism (E1), and self management (E2). 2) The task elements with high performance and importance level among weekly task elements are nutrition education for diabetes (C56), nutrition counseling for adults (C47), nutrition for hypertension (C53), managing and keeping records (C80), nutrition education for kindergarten and nursery school children (C42), searching for nutrition education materials (B26), and searching for media (B27). 3) The number of task elements with high performance and importance level among monthly task elements are 13 in the planning and evaluation of public health nutrition service, and 5 in developing nutrition education materials. The tasks of a dietitian in the public health center show a very wide spectrum. However dietitians recognize most of the tasks are important even though they cannot perform those tasks adequately.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition
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• v.42 no.2
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• pp.278-285
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• 2013

We investigated foodservices and levels of their satisfaction from parents of children in kindergartens with and without dietitians. Foodservice facilities consisted of kitchens and cafeterias for all kindergartens with a dietitian (KWD) and only kitchens for all kindergartens without a dietitian (KWOD) (p<0.001). Children consumed lunch in a lunchroom for all KWD and in a classroom for all KWOD (p<0.001). The person in charge of the diet menu was a dietitian for all KWD and a director for 52.2% of KWOD (p<0.001). About 48% of total kindergartens were served different amounts according to the child's age and body size. About 30% of parents from total kindergartens responded that a difficulty of foodservice management was children's safety while distributing the lunch. The majority of respondents claimed that foodservices need a more balanced menu and active instructions on proper dietary habits. Parents who visited and participated in foodservice were significantly higher from KWD than KWOD. Also, the desire to participate in foodservices was significantly higher in the parents from KWD (p<0.01). Sixty one percent of parents from KWD and 19% of parents from KWOD considered foodservices when choosing a kindergarten (p<0.001). The satisfaction in foodservices of parents from KWD was significantly higher from all points of view in terms of the quality of foodservice, nutrition, and hygiene. In conclusion, we found that foodservices and their levels of satisfaction from parents of kindergartens with dietitians were better and higher than those without dietitians. Therefore, all kindergartens should consider having a dietitian exclusively in charge of foodservices.