Indonesians face serious health issues that arise from malnutrition, particularly in children who are under unfavorable dietary environments. The present study established a school meal program consisting of dietary and educational interventions and evaluated its impact on promoting continuous improvement in dietary behavior among junior and senior high school students in Indonesia. A total of 319 students belonging to an Islamic Boarding School participated in the pre-post intervention study for 9 months. All participants were assessed based on their Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice (KAP). A subgroup of 115 participants who were anemic and underweight was examined for dietary intake, nutrition status, and hemoglobin level. The KAP test scores for both nutrition and hygiene showed a significant increase for all students and the undernutrition group post-intervention. Protein, iron, and vitamin C intake significantly improved. Although there were no significant improvements in nutrition status, there was a significant increase in the hemoglobin level and a reduction in the prevalence of anemia from 42.6% to 21.7%. Thus, school meal program that combines dietary and educational interventions may effectively improve anemia in undernourished students as well as enhance the knowledge, attitudes, and practices related to health, nutrition, and hygiene in junior and senior high school students.

Stunting prevalence in South Kalimantan has been higher than the national figure and is the sixth highest in Indonesia. Not many studies in South Kalimantan have analysed the risk factors for stunting comprehensively that combine sociodemographic factors, utilization of maternal health services, and characteristics of children. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to analyse sociodemographic factors, utilization of maternal health services, and characteristics of children under 5 as determinants of stunting in South Kalimantan Province. This study used an analytic observational method with a cross-sectional design. Data collection used secondary data from the results of South Kalimantan Baseline Health Research 2018. The total population of toddlers obtained from South Kalimantan Baseline Health Research 2018 data was 1218 toddlers, and all of them were taken as samples. Data analysis used a chi square test for bivariate test and Logistic Regression for multivariate test. There is a relationship between mother’s education level (p = 0.001), father’s education (p = 0.002), toddler age (p < 0.001), low birth weight (p = 0.05), exclusive breastfeeding (p = 0.008), and underweight (p = 0.000) with stunting. The data were continued with the Logistics Regression test and the dominant variables related to stunting were underweight (p < 0.001 with OR 18,241), under-five age (p < 0.001, with OR value for ages 24–35 months 9511), and premature birth (p = 0.027 with an OR of 2187). The conclusion of this study is that the most important factor in the incidence of stunting in South Kalimantan is underweight nutritional status.

Nutrition education among adolescents is lacking in Indonesian schools. Whereas adolescent girls, in particular, need adequate nutrients to prepare them for their future pregnancy which may improve their nutrition status in the long term. Therefore, this study aims to assess the impact of a teacher-led nutrition education program on the nutrition and anemia status of adolescent girls. A quasi-experimental design was applied in junior high and high schools in Bogor which compared the findings between the intervention (n=112) and the control group (n=129). Teachers in the intervention group received training on health and nutrition for adolescents and were asked to deliver nutrition education for their students for 14 weeks. The control group did not receive any exposure to the topics. The weight, height, and hemoglobin level were measured before and after the program. Paired and independent t-test statistical analysis was used to assess the impact of the intervention for continuous variables and the Chi-Square test was used for categorical data. After the program, although there were no significant improvements in BMI-for-age z-score, however, significant improvements were observed for hemoglobin level among the treatment group. This was consequently shown in the anemia status, where the prevalence of anemia was significantly lower compared to the control group (p<0.001). The findings demonstrate that teacher-led nutrition education can improve the anemia status of adolescent girls.

Jurnal Gizi dan Pangan, Fakultas Ekologi Manusia; Institut Pertanian Bogor

Background: Food waste is a global issue due to its serious environmental, economic, and social impacts. Objective: This research aimed to collect information regarding restaurant food waste management using the Restaurant Food Waste Map (RFWM) approach. Method: This research is a narrative review. Results: The main contributors to food waste at each phase are managers, chefs, kitchen staff, waiters, and customers. Most types of food waste produced are avoidable. Factors that influence food waste include management of food supplies, serving styles, and customer behaviors. Conclusion: Management strategies that can be implemented include improving food supply management, using smaller plates, and various interventions to increase customer awareness of food waste.