The Influence of Nursery School Meals on the Dietary Awareness of Children Who Eat Them and Their Families

Abstract

  We conducted a questionnaire survey to understand how parents of children attending nursery schools perceive the nursery school meals and how they make effective use of these meals for meals at home.

  The subjects of the survey consisted of 1,090 parents of 4- and 5-year-old children attending public nursery schools in three cities in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. A total of 396 respondents (36.3% response rate) to the survey were included in the analysis. They were divided into three groups according to the parents' interest in nutrition education (Syokuiku): 108 (27.3%) in the "interested" group, 243 (61.4%) in the "somewhat interested" group, and 45 (11.4%) in the "not interested" group. The three groups were compared in terms of their food-related attitudes and behaviors. Compared to the other two groups, the "Interested" group had higher scores for looking at the menu of nursery school meals (p＜0.001), using nursery school meals as a reference for home meals (p＜0.001), and occasionally cooking dishes provided in nursery school meals at home (p＝0.002).

  The most frequent topic of conversation regarding nursery school meals at home was cooking and menu (325 people, 82.1%). Among the 283 respondents who reported using nursery school meals as a reference for meals at home, 202 respondents (71.4%) most frequently referred to cooking. No differences were observed based on the level of interest in nutrition education (Syokuiku). A co-occurrence network was created using the free-response statements of 177 respondents who thought there were changes in themselves or their families due to the child starting to eat nursery school meals. The responses were categorized into three categories: 'Challenge/Improvement of Likes and Dislikes,' 'Reference to Home Meals,' and 'Communication.'

  It was clear that parents recognize the positive impact of nursery school meals on children, such as improving their likes and dislikes and fostering an attitude to try new dishes. Furthermore, it was inferred that the change in the children's attitude towards food and the children's talking about nursery school meals and requesting menus eaten at nursery school meals had effects on the parents. It was considered that, even in households where parents have "somewhat of an interest" or "no interest" in nutrition education (Syokuiku), engaging children in talking about nursery school meals at home could potentially increase parents' interest in food and eating. Furthermore, it was thought that this could lead to improved meals at home.