It was judged that the cooking technology education was the center in shokuiku program. In this research, educational practice to a college man was done by using the program that acquires the cooking technology for the introduction and beginner’s class (three cooking practices). By having experienced the cooking practice, both the ownership rates of the cooking skill that was practiced and the dish practice at home rose. It was clarified that the dish practice at home was greatly related with the concern to food, and the food consideration. Person who cooked at home tended to use the processed food lower, and have higher satisfaction for own eating habits.

We conducted an awareness survey of kindergartners and nursery school children in the same age group and their guardians regarding eating habits in order to obtain fundamental information for planning effective dietary education. The changes of awareness survey for kindergartners and guardians was considered over a period of 1 year. The following facts were elucidated :

(1) The results of the awareness survey showed almost no change from the previous year in awareness of eating in kindergartners and their guardians ; current dietary education was thus judged to be largely ineffective. (2) The results of the awareness survey conducted on kindergartners and nursery school children in the same age group regarding eating habits demonstrated that, although nursery school children and their guardians had a higher level of diet awareness than kindergartners and their guardians, restrictions due to guardians’ working hours or both guardians working made it difficult for them to act in accordance with this awareness. (3) Drawings of meal-time scenes including peaceful meal-time scenes, meal times with siblings or eating alone by kindergartners were used to clarify the conditions of communal eating at home. These findings also suggested a lack of efficacy of dietary education in kindergartners and their guardians. (4) Comprehensive evaluation based on the Food Balance Guide of the meals consumed in one day by kindergartners indicated poor food balance and insufficient volume.

The aim of this research is to analyze of the information of food education (shokuiku) by the newspaper article number. Text mining is applied as the method.

The report about “food education” is increasing in 2000 and afterwards, and it turns out especially that the report number is increasing sharply in 2003 and afterwards.

Moreover, the following eight fields were set up as the second keyword relevant to food education. They are the thing relevant to school, cooking or nutrition, agriculture, home, eating habits, meal, health or medical treatment, and administration. As a result, it turned out that the “food education” is fully performed mainly by cooking and feeding in school and it is reported. However, as for the keyword relevant to agriculture, it also became clear that percentage became low as compared with other keywords.

Objective :

To find an effective method of dietary education (so-called shokuiku) for kindergarten children and their caregivers

Methods :

Kindergarten children were divided into two groups : the intervention group and control group. Their caregivers (mostly mothers) of the intervention group were given information on shokuiku by periodic newsletters with a checklist. The effects of shokuiku was estimated after 6 months, performing a questionnaire on the dietary behaviour before and after the intervention.

Results :

1) There was a significant positive correlation between the frequency that the kindergarten children participated in serving the meal and clearing the table and looking forward to the meal, greeting at meal by themselves, and participating in cooking (p<0.01, respectively). In the caregivers, there was a significant positive correlation between the frequency that their kindergarten children participated in serving the meal and clearing the table and the knowledge of shokuiku (p<0.05), feeling of contentment on dietary life, the pleasure of dietary life,and being good at cooking (p<0.01, respectively).

2) After the intervention, kindergarten children of the intervention group who greeted at meal by themselves (itadakimasu and gochisogama), took three meals a day, ate local food and dishes and ceremonial dishes, served a meal and cleared the table, and participated in cooking were significantly increased. Caregivers who exploited the traditional local food and the culture and saw their dietary life in a new light were also increased.

3) The use of a check list was positively correlated with the 4 items of meal behaviour in kindergarten children, including looking forward to the meal and serving a meal and clearing the table, and with the 9 items of their caregivers.

Conclusion :

The shokuiku newsletters with a check list were useful for the improvement of eating behaviour of kindergarten children and their caregivers.

In order to improve parental skill in nutritional knowledge at home and to produce well educated leaders involved in nutrition, we designed a seminar style dietetic curriculum for students who strive to become dieticians in Toita Girls’ Junior College Department of Nutrition and Food. In this research, we have selected as a theme, “the nutritional relationship of herbs from cultivation to consumption”, to improve students’ nutritional consciousness. In addition, We have examined the effectiveness of “herb cultivation” for teaching material. These findings suggest that students’ interests in dietary nutrition increased through experiences in cultivating herbs. Moreover,in herb cultivation, because once the seeds are sown, they can be harvested the following year, in a one-year class, there were enough subject matters to thoroughly comprehend and acknowledge the relationships of herb and nutrition from cultivation to consumption. Therefore, it was proven to be an effective teaching material used in a curriculum for Nutrition and Dietetic Education.