title: Identifying barriers to the implementation of nutrition education in South Korea.
abstract: To improve the nutritional status of children and adolescents, it is critical to identify the barriers to the implementation of nutrition education in schools. We carried out a cross-sectional study by analyzing data from 121 subjects (45 nutrition teachers and 76 school dietitians). Among the personal, environmental and systematic barriers, the top four barriers to the implementation of nutrition education were heavy workload (4.28 points), lack of a systematic curriculum (4.12 points), lack of perception of nutrition education by school administrators and teachers (4.07 points), and lack of continuing education for nutrition teachers and school dietitians (4.05 points). Additionally, poor working conditions, such as low pay, were identified as significant barriers to nutrition education for school dietitians compared with nutrition teachers (4.33 vs 3.47 points, p<0.001). This research provides useful information for nutrition policy makers to promote nutrition education in schools in South Korea.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition Education, Graduate School of Education, Kyonggi University, Suwon, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea. Email: joungheelee@kgu.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Jounghee
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Seokcheon Elementary School, Hwaseong, Gyeonggi-do, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Youngsun
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006266:Health Education / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D018673:Nutrition Policy; D056910:Republic of Korea; D012572:School Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*