Aim:

In this study, our objective was to find out the opinion of the parents, whose children participated in the school milk project program (SMP), and to determine the acceptability of this program in the society.

Materials and Methods:

Ultra-heat treated (UHT) milk (200ml) was distributed to 6,5 million students in the second half of the 2013-2014 school year by the ministry. This study was conducted to find out the opinion of the families of children, who participated in the SMP in Malkara / Tekirdağ. For this purpose, a questionnaire containing 13 questions was used.

Results:

The educational status of parents were as follows: 1.47% illiterate; 35.8% primary school graduates; 12.9% secondary school graduates; 28.7% high school graduates and 20.79% university graduates. A total of 73.16% of children have breakfast on a regular basis. Regarding the weekly milk consumption of children; 6.38% did not drink milk at all; 37.32% 1-3 days, 19.64% 4-6 days and 36.6% used to consume milk every day. 91.49% of parents were informed about SMP and 99.51% stated that they filled a permission form. 83.63% of parents believed that SMP was necessary and 16.37% believed that it was not necessary. 98.36% of parents gave a positive answer and 1.64% gave a negative answer to the question about the contribution of SMP to the growth of children. 66.78% of the participating parents believed and 33.22% did not believe that milk is protective against diseases in older ages.

Conclusion:

The School Milk Project gained families’ acceptance and contributes to the healthy and balanced nutrition of children from the low-income segment.

Keywords: School milk project, nutrition of school-age children, cow milk