Eating Behavior and Attitude toward School Lunches in Elementary School Children

We conducted a survey of the eating habits of children in elementary schools that work actively in food education and take advantage of local products, and analyzed the trends in eating behavior and the attitude toward school lunches in each grade. The results of this study are summarized as follows: 1. 88.1% of children eat breakfast every day: second graders represent the highest percentage at 97.1% and sixth graders the lowest at 83.7%. The most common reason for not eating breakfast was "didn’t have time". 2. 52.5% of children eat dinner with the whole family: first graders are the highest at 70.4%. 3. No significant difference was observed between the grades in the polite expressions of gratitude said before and after meals. However, a significant difference was observed between the grades in correctly holding chopsticks. 4. The percentage of children who enjoy school lunch is significantly higher in the lower grades. The most common reasons given for enjoying school lunch are "Because it was good" and "Because I can eat with everyone". 79.5% of the children answered that they do not leave much lunch uneaten. 5. Of the children who enjoy school lunch, a significantly high percentage eat breakfast, usually say the polite expressions of gratitude before and after meals, and do not leave much lunch uneaten. From these results, it is clear that a high percentage of the children in the lower grades eat dinner with the whole family and eat breakfast every day. Furthermore, it is suggested that children who enjoy eating good school lunches that they like and eat with their teachers and friends, can lead to desirable eating behavior modification