Indonesia is experiencing a double burden of malnutrition,especially in young children. Many studies show that community empowerment andnutrition education are effective at reducing the risk of malnutrition whencombined with attractive tools and appropriate nutrition and parenting messages.Therefore, we developed innovative picture storybooks as a fun learning tool to equipteachers and parents with a way to improve their understanding and awareness ofthe quality of early childhood dietary habits and social behavior. The studyconsisted of three stages, including formative research, book development, andevaluation. Our formative research triangulated information on preferences andkey messages on food, nutrition, parenting, and child characteristics throughfocus group discussions (FGDs), in-depth interviews (IDIs), and observations of school foodenvironments. The FGDs were held for the children (n=6), teachers (n=6), andmothers (n=6). The IDIsexplored opinions from a story teller, a nutritionist, a communication expert,a child psychologist, and an illustrator team. Finally, books were developed bythe researcher and evaluated by the expert team (n=10) and teachers (n=8). Thestudy took place in early childhood education centers and kindergartens inCentral Jakarta’s urban areas. Children preferred picture storybooks that represented a unique conditionof magical power and provided characters from the fantasy genre. Following theIDI’srecommendations and observations, three picture storybook series were developed: healthysnacking, integrated with messages to stimulate a child’s disciplined behavior;eating vegetables, especially green ones, with the motivation to increasetruthfulness; and a healthy eating portion guide with a variety of foodscombined with messages to motivate grateful attitudes. The book contentintegrated key messages on nutrition, parenting, and social behavior withunique characters and colorful pictures. The expert team recommended theappropriate development of the picture storybooks and emphasized paying attention to cleargenres, text structure, content, themes and ideas, language, vocabulary,illustrations and graphic design, and messages delivered. The picture storybookspresent key messages on nutrition, parenting, and child behavior using anattractive, colorful and unique appearance. These books can be used to teachearly childhood nutrition and parenting intervention by integrating them withother approaches such as story-telling, eating meals together, and othersupporting activities.

Octavia L, et al. Pediatr Gastroenterol Hepatol Nutr. 2022 Jul;25(4):347-350. https://doi.org/10.5223/pghn.2022.25.4.347

Potensi produk perikanan tangkap dari perairan Indonesia dapat menjadi salah satu lokomotif yang dioptimalkan produk olahan industri, dan untuk konsumsi untuk membantu penurunan angka stunting yang masih berada pada 24.4% di tahun 2021. Jumlah tangkapan mencapai 6,5 juta ton/tahun sementara konsumsi hanya 33,86 kg/kapita/tahun membuka peluang pengolahan dalam skala industri kecil/menengah dari jenis cakalang, tongkol, tuna dan lainnya. Tulisan naratif ini merupakan penelusuran literatur mengenai potensi hasil tangkap di wilayah Buton Utara yang dapat digunakan untuk menaikkan nilai ekonomi dan sumber gizi berbasis produk hewani. Pendekatan kegiatan tangkap lestari di kawasan perairan mengedepankan penyelamatan lingkungan dengan selektif dalam jenis dan jumlah hasil tangkapan yang dikenal dengan istilah Optimum Sustainable Yield. Penerapan Standar Nasional Indonesia pasca produksi dapat membantu meningkatkan nilai ekonomis dan usia hasil tangkapan dan untuk memenuhi kebutuhan gizi konsumen. Pengolahan produk menjadi kering atau produk olahan dapat dikenalkan untuk pasar lokal bahkan internasional dengan menerapkan standar produk pangan berbasis peraturan baku Dukungan dari otoritas, akademisi, kelompok nelayan, koperasi, organisasi nir laba dapat membantu mewujudkan hal ini dengan melakukan perencanaan program untuk dapat merumuskan program yang berkelanjutan.

Octavia L, et al. Pediatr Gastroenterol Hepatol Nutr. 2025 Mar;28(2):135-140. https://doi.org/10.5223/pghn.2025.28.2.135

In the ongoing coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, the most vulnerable groups are those with pre-existing health problems and the elderly due to their reduced immune system to prevent infection. Nutrition plays a significant role in maintaining the immune system to prevent pathogen manifestation. This review aimed to identify and discuss the role of nutrients in COVID-19 in developing immunity. Studies included in this review were obtained from articles published in reputable journals accessed from the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) website, leading search engine, in a retrospective timeframe from January 1 to May 2, 2020, using specified keywords. The search resulted in seven articles relevant to the objective of the review. They highlighted the role of nutrients, namely the deficiency of essential nutrients that might exacerbate the health status. The consumption of certain nutrients, micronutrient and omega-3 might be tolerated up to the upper level of recommended dietary allowance (RDA) to benefit the health status. This review can assist in providing the prevention and mitigation approach to improve immunity amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The government should expand the continuous delivery of messages regarding the benefit of appropriate nutrients in maintaining health and immune system. Furthermore, the current condition gives the best opportunity to educate the community on a healthy and balanced diet for daily life.

Malnutrition is one of the public health problems that existed during the pandemic; both problems, under and overnutrition, existed. Furthermore, malnutrition can worsen the infection in all groups, including children. The risk of being infected was higher in the malnutrition group than in the well-nourished one. This article aimed to review the risk of malnutrition and possibly related factors in children during the pandemic. This article used the literature review method and was conducted by the initial 2022 from several countries. The object included in the analysis was children's health and nutrition related. The source of articles highlighted the occurrence of malnutrition in children. The source of articles was from PubMed and Cochrane Library, which resulted in 21 eligible papers. The result of the study found that the identified possible factors are self-isolation, physical activity, dietary patterns, nutrient shortage, and socioeconomic factors. There was a shift in dietary patterns among children during the COVID-19 pandemic due to several factors. Those are the scarcity of food sources and compensation for the lockdown, and those findings confirmed the possibility of under- and overnutrition among children. In low-middle income countries (LMICs), the risk of malnutrition problems in this pandemic has heightened the magnitude of the public health problem. The mitigation program should overcome the existing problem to minimize the adverse effect of malnutrition among children.