Quality of menus in secondary schools with regard to recommendations of World Health Organization (WHO)
Kakovost jedilnikov v srednjih šolah glede na priporočila Svetovne zdravstvene organizacije (SZO)

english

2007

volume 46, issue 3

Inštitut za varovanje zdravja RS
(Obvezni izvod spletne publikacije)

Background: Meals provided at school constitue an important part of the students' daily diet. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has issued nutritionrecommendations for children and adolescents aged 7 to 18 years. Theaim of this study was to test the hypothesis that the quality of meals served in Slovene secondary schools does not meet the criteria recommended by WHO. Methods: In 2003, a survey on the quality of school meals, based on food diaries kept during one week, was conducted by the Ministry of Education,Science and Sports in all Slovene secondary school. Fifty-eight menus (230 meals) served in eight (5.6 %) Slovene secondary schools were analysed. A computer programme devised for evaluating the patient catering service in the University Medical Center Ljubljana was used in the survey. Results: Energy and nutritional values (carbohydrate, protein and fat content)were calculated for each mid-morning school meal. Energy requirements recommended by WHO for boys and for girls were met by only 10.3 % and 13.8% ofthe one-week menus analysed. The proportion of meals providing the recommended dietary carbohydrate intake was 6.9% for boys and 17.3% for girls.The most striking finding was that none of the mid-morning meals complied with the WHO recommendations for dietary protein intake. Only 1.7% and 3.5 % of school meals, respectively, were found to provide adequate fat content recommended for boys and girls. Conclusion: Our hypothesis has been fully confirmed given that mid-morning meals are considered to provide 30 % of the estimated average energy and nutritional values. School meals provided in Slovene secondary schools do not meet the WHO criteria for energy and nutritional values. Strategies to improve the quality of school food should aim to balance energy intake and energy expenditure through physical activity,to increase carbohydrate intake and cut down on protein. Also, schools should employ professionals in school nutrition to manage school food services.

16.09.2009