Abstract
The purpose of this study is to elucidate the actual status of the nutrition education and consciousness of teachers toward the issue, and to discuss the directions for the nutrition education. Results are as follows.
1) Elementary school teachers, and teachers of colleges where no courses on school lunches are given regarded the school lunches as the means to give training in social behaviour, while those in colleges where such courses are given regarded the same as the means to give nutrition education.
2) 83% of elementary schools had the guidance policy on the whole school level, 58% of which left the guidance method to the discretion of teachers, and many teachers were feeling a defect of guidance system. At about 20% of schools nutritionists participated in guidance. Many of teachers in charge of school lunches were female teachers in their 20s and complained of insufficient knowledge of dietary sciences. Confusions and unsatisfactory guidances which may be contributed to the above and to lack of provisions in school lunches may be resolved by participation of nutritionists in guidances, training of teachers in dietary sciences, and improvement in guidance systems and school lunch provisions.
3) 15% and 39% of colleges and junior colleges respectively gave courses related to school lunches, and the students taking these courses were limited. Courses intended for a greater number of students should be included in the college curriculum.
