Calcium and Milk Intake of Elementary School Students from School Foodservices: Focus on the Gyeongsangbukdo Province

Abstract

The calcium intake of elementary school students residing in Gyeongsangbukdo province from their school foodservice and milk program was evaluated. A total of 252 subjects (50.4% boys and 49.6% girls) were examined. A significant percentage of the total subjects (32.9%) reported skipping breakfast once or more per week, with the major reasons for skipping breakfast being a lack of time and appetite. A majority of the total subjects (78.2%) participated in the school milk program. The type of milk consumed by the subjects was mainly white milk, with a milk intake mostly between one and two cups. Participants in the school milk program consumed over the recommended nutrient intake (RNI) of calcium, but non-participants consumed only 48.1% of the RNI (P<0.001). The calcium intake rate according to food cooking methods, from highest to lowest was in the order bap, twigim, jeon, jjim, and gui. Although the food intake rate of guk was low, the calcium intake rate by RNI was the highest for guk. On the other hand, the food intake rate of bap and kimchi was high, but their calcium intake rate by RNI was relatively low. These results show that non-participants in the school milk program are significantly deficient in calcium. Therefore, to improve the calcium nutrition for children, school lunch menus containing high calcium need to be developed and children should be encouraged to enter a school milk program.