Journal List > Korean J Community Nutr > v.18(5) > 1038434

Kim, Park, Ahn, and Kim: A Survey on the Salt Content of Kindergarten Lunch Meals and Meal Providers' Dietary Attitude to Sodium Intake in Gyeonggi-do Area

Abstract

Dietary habit of excess sodium consumption is formed mainly by excessive salt intake from the younger age and this may lead to hypertension, stroke, and stomach cancer. This study was performed to estimate the salt content in kindergarten meals and provide basic data on meal providers' dietary attitude to sodium intake for nutrition education. We collected data on161 food items from 16 institutions in Gyeonggi-do and salt content was calculated from salinity and weight of individual food items. The average salt content from lunch meals was 2.2 g, which was about daily adequate intake of sodium for children aged 3 to 5 years old. Greatest contributor to the salt content in a meal was soup and stew (47.8%). The most salty dishes were sauces and kimchi followed by stir-fried food, deep-fried food, braised food, and grilled food. The salt content was higher in soup and stew despite of low salinity, due to the large quantity per serving. The salt contents of soups and kimchi were 40.6% and 14.3%, respectively of the total salt content in dish groups. Staff members and caregivers at home who prepared food for the child showed preference for one-dish rice meal, dried fish and salted mackerel, and broth when eating soup, stew, and noodles. Caregivers showed higher sodium index score and had higher preference for processed food such as Ramen, canned food, and ham compared with staff members (p < 0.05). These results suggested that monitoring salt content of kindergarten meals and nutrition education for those prepare meals for children are needed to lower sodium intake in childhood.

Figures and Tables

Fig. 1
The salinity and salt content of individual dish group.
kjcn-18-478-g001
Table 1
Salt content and salinity of menu groups from kindergarten meals
kjcn-18-478-i001

1) Weight of food supplied supplied for each meal (g)

2) Measured by salimeter (%)

3) Amount of food multiplied by salinity × 0.01 (g)

4) Salt content of each dish group divided by total salt content of the meal × 100 (%)

5) Mean±SD

abcd: Means with different superscripts are significantly different among groups by Duncan's multiple range test

***: p < 0.001

Table 2
The salinity and salt content of dish groups served in kindergartens
kjcn-18-478-i002

1) Weight of food supplied for each meal (g)

2) Measured by salimeter (%)

3) Amount of food multiplied by salinity × 0.01 (g)

4) Sum of salt content of food in each dish group divided by total salt content × 100 (%)

5) N

6) Mean ± SD

Table 3
The salinity and salt content of foods per serving
kjcn-18-478-i003

1) N

2) Mean

3) Mean ± SD

Table 4
General characteristics of study subjects
kjcn-18-478-i004

1) Mean ± SD

2) N (%)

***: p < 0.001

Table 5
Dietary attitude related to salt intake
kjcn-18-478-i005

1) N (%): Response rate of "Yes" in each item

2) Total number of 'yes' response in each subject

3) Mean ± SD

*: p < 0.05, significantly different between the groups by χ2-test

Table 6
Nutrition knowledge related to salt intake
kjcn-18-478-i006

1) N (%): Response rate of "Yes" in each item

2) Total number of correct answer in each subject

3) Mean ± SD

*: p < 0.05, significantly different between the groups by χ2-test

Table 7
Dish frequency questionnaire (DFQ)
kjcn-18-478-i007

1) Mean ± SD, Standard score is 'Once per week = 1'.

2) Except bibimguksu, noodles mixed with vegetables and red pepper sauce

3) Sum of values calculated by multiplying weighed score according to the sodium content of serving size and consumption frequency (adopted from Son et al 2005)

*: p < 0.05, **: p < 0.01 ***: p < 0.001 significantly different between the groups by t-test

Table 8
Experience of nutrition education and needs of education contents for lowering sodium intake
kjcn-18-478-i008

1) N (%): The frequency of answer in each item

*: p < 0.05, **: p < 0.01 significantly different between the groups by χ2-test

Notes

This research was supported by the Catholic University of Korea, Research Fund, 2013

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