1. Name of the Unit: Department of school and Occupational Nutrition 

2. History of establishment and development 

The Department of School and Occupational Nutrition (originally the Department of Community Nutrition) was officially established in 2004. Since then, it has actively focused on scientific research, implementing nutritional intervention programs, and developing educational materials related to school and occupational nutrition.

- Scientific research development: The department has spearheaded research aimed at predicting trends and nutritional issues among school-aged children and laborers and proposing practical nutrition policies and interventions. To date, the department has published over 70 national scientific articles, 38 international scientific articles, and more than 12 nutrition-related publications.

- International collaboration: The department has partnered with Jumonji University (Japan) and the FANCL Research Institute to implement intervention studies on the prevention of overweight, obesity, diabetes and lipid disorders among school-aged children and adults.

- Participation in training activities on school and occupational nutrition at universities and the National Institute of Nutrition. The department has been involved in developing educational materials and conducted training sessions on school and occupational nutrition for healthcare and education staff at the provincial and district levels. Key contributions include: compiling capacity-building materials for school health staff; providing specialised guidance on nutritional assessment, school meals, and nutritional care for children aged 5 to under 16 years; and training child protection and care personnel across all three regions nationwide.

- Implementation of  program school nutrition programs and projects: The department collaborates with the Ministry of Education and Training and the Maternal and Child Health Department to implement national programs aimed at improving school meals and health.

- Implementation of activities under the National Nutrition Strategy, the National Target Program on Sustainable Poverty Reduction, and the Program for Health Promotion and Occupational Disease Prevention for Workers: This includes the development and revision of nutrition pyramids for children aged 6-11, 12-14, and 15-17 years; the design of school nutrition models and adolescent girls’ nutritional care model; the assessment of nutritional status, micronutrient deficiencies, and dietary intake among children aged 5 to under 16 in impoverished districts and the development and evaluation of shift meal menus for workers with varying levels of physical activity.

- Development of educational materials on school nutrition: This includes resources for the school meal project such as a menu sets for semi-boarding primary students in Da Nang, Hanoi, and Hai Phong; nutrition education materials for primary students; recommendations on milk and dairy product consumption; and a communication handbook on nutrition education for school-aged children and adolescents.

- Participation in the compilation of specialized materials: Including the “Handbook on Nutrition and Food Safety for Health Promotion” and the “Guidelines on Nutritional Prevention of COVID-19.

Developing documents and policies on School Nutrition

Current staff: The department has 7 staff members: 1 PhD, 2 Master's degree, and 4 Bachelor's degree.

Staff of the Department of School and Occupational Nutrition during the Spring 2025 Team Building event.

3. Current functions and duties

- Conduct applied research in the fields of school and occupational nutrition, pilot interventions, and propose solutions to improve nutritional status and health among school-aged children and various occupational groups in society.

- Develop nutritional requirements and meal composition for school-aged children, adolescents, and different occupational groups.

- Monitor changes in nutritional status and lifestyle factors related to nutrition among school-aged children, adolescents, and workers across various sectors.

- Study current nutritional conditions and propose effective solutions to enhance nutrition among school-aged children, adolescents, and the working population in different occupations.

4. Development orientations 

- Develop school meal programs and policies on school nutrition.

- Develop nutrition education programs for students at all educational levels.

- Research nutritional status, micronutrient deficiencies, and dietary intake of school-age children and workers; monitor changes in nutritional status and nutrition-related lifestyles of these groups; propose intervention solutions.

- Implement intervention studies to improve nutritional status and micronutrient deficiencies among school-age children and workers.

- Compile guideline documents on school nutrition, nutrition education, and dietary regimes for workers.

- Collaborate across sectors in policy-making, research, and training related to school and occupational nutrition to enhance community health care effectiveness.

5. Some photos of the department’s activities