Dietary Habits and Degree of Satisfaction with Meal Service by Students with Visual Impairment

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to provide basic data, to establish desirable dietary habits, and to give instructions for students with visual impairment. Over two hundred middle and high school students (137 boys and 107 girls) with visual impairment in Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, were surveyed for interest in nutrients, dietary habits, taste for meal service and satisfaction with meal service. As for the general information of the subjects, many of them had low vision and lost sight in a postnatal manner. They showed huge interest in nutrients and obtained the most information about nutrition from the mass media and meal service. Students had meals regularly, yet showed irregular breakfast patterns. They held the right posture during eating, did not spill food, and were good at using a spoon and chopsticks. The biggest factor to affect their dietary habits was the family's dietary habits, which were followed by their homeroom teachers. As for the dietary habits to be improved and picky eating habits, many students were trying to correct their picky eating habits and demonstrated willingness to improve their picky eating habits. However, many students showed no interest in picky eating, suggesting that they need some education to choose variety of foods. In short, the schools should provide students with visual impairment with education to teach the importance of desirable dietary habits through the meal service, balanced nutrition for the menus of the lowest preference, and menus fit for their preference. In addition, they need to develop programs and education materials to provide nutrition counseling and education to help them with their picky eating habits and improper dietary habits due to multiple disabilities, diseases, long‐term intake of medication, and family environments.Grant Funding Source: Inha University