Hamid, Nur Aina Nasuha Che (2026) Nutritional profiling of school meal foods served in school canteens from primary schools of urban and rural areas in Kelantan. Project Report. Universiti Sains Malaysia. (Submitted)
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Abstract
Background: Malaysian school canteens contribute a substantial proportion of daily energy intake among primary schoolchildren; however, the nutritional quality of foods offered is frequently associated with inadequate intake of protective nutrients such as calcium, vitamin C, and dietary fibre. This study aimed to profile the nutrient composition of primary school canteen foods in Kelantan and to compare differences between urban and rural settings. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 145 food items obtained from six public primary school canteens in Kelantan (three urban schools in Kota Bharu and three rural schools in Bachok). Nutrient composition was analysed using Nutritionist Pro™ software based on the Malaysian Food Composition Database (MyFCD, 2020). Urban–rural comparisons were performed using the Mann-Whitney U test with a significance level of p<0.05. Results: Urban canteen foods contained significantly more energy per serving than rural foods (289 kcal vs 266 kcal, p=0.035). Nevertheless, foods from both settings showed consistently low contributions to calcium (72 mg; 5% RNI), vitamin C (10 mg; 4% RNI), and dietary fibre (1 g; 2% RNI). Protein contribution was adequate (36% RNI), while sodium content exceeded 30% of the recommended daily limit. Conclusion: Although school canteen foods in Kelantan provide sufficient protein, deficiencies in key protective nutrients remain evident. These findings highlight the need to improve the nutritional quality of school canteen offerings to better support children's health.
| Item Type: | Monograph (Project Report) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | nutritional quality |
| Subjects: | R Medicine R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine > RA440-440.87 Study and teaching. Research |
| Divisions: | Kampus Kesihatan (Health Campus) > Pusat Pengajian Sains Kesihatan (School of Health Sciences) > Monograph |
| Depositing User: | MUHAMMAD AKIF AIMAN AB SHUKOR |
| Date Deposited: | 11 Aug 2026 03:57 |
| Last Modified: | 18 Oct 2026 03:44 |
| URI: | http://eprints.usm.my/id/eprint/64755 |
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