The school lunch program as a vehicle for nutrition education in Iowa public schools

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent to which the Iowa public school food service (SFS) district directors incorporated nutrition education into SFS programs. A preliminary qualitative study was conducted to obtain in-depth information eUsout nutrition education in SFS programs. The resulting information from interviews with 12 private SFS directors was used to develop a self-administered questionnaire for this study. The questionnaire consisted of three parts: demographic information, nutrition education activities, and attitudes toward nutrition education. The questionnaire was pilot tested, revised, and mailed to 377 Iowa public SFS district directors. The return rate was 74% (n=280). The majority of respondents were female, between the ages of 40 and 59, had the job title of SFS director, and possessed the minimum of a high school diploma. Findings indicate that three major sources of nutrition education materials were commodity groups, state government, and the United States Department of Agriculture. Nutrition education materials were received on a monthly basis. Posters, newsletters, brochures, and flyers were the most frequently used nutrition education materials.