Food Service Programme for Promoting Healthy Nutrition among Medical Cadets of Phramongkutklao College of Medicine: A Preliminary Study
Nantaporn Viravathana PhD*
Affiliation : * Department of Biochemistry, Phramongkutklao College of Medicine
Objective : To evaluate the patterns of food services and to determine the kinds and frequencies of food
items served to the medical cadets.
Materials and Methods : Menu records of the meals served to the medical cadets at a mess hall of
Phramongkutklao College of Medicine were retrospectively reviewed, covering the period of one month
of the academic year 2004. The menus were analysed using descriptive statistics.
Results : Sixty-five medical cadets participated in the food service programme by setting their own menus.
The programme provided three main meals a day. In August, the studied month, it was found that some
selected menus were not suitable. Only two types of foods of carbohydrate sources were used. The
predominant one was milled rice (87 meals or 93.5%). At least 5 meals (5.4%) did not serve vegetables
at all. As for fresh fruits, up to 16 days (51.6%) they were not served.
Conclusion : The food service programme is a strength point for promoting healthy nutrition to medical
cadets in this setting. Involvement of medical cadets by setting up their own menus can reflect very
clearly undesirable eating habits. Thus, appropriate involvement of medical cadets can be a good means
to help them acquire knowledge and skills in healthy nutrition practices.
Keywords : Food service programme, Healthy nutrition, Health promotion.
