<![CDATA[Background: The nutritional status of elementary school-aged children is a crucial factor in determining the quality of future human resources. However, limited nutritional knowledge among children remains a challenge, particularly in coastal areas with restricted access to information. Purpose: This study aims to assess the effectiveness of leaflet-based educational media in improving students' knowledge about balanced nutrition at Elementary School 2 Toronipa, Konawe Regency, Southeast Sulawesi, Indonesia. Methods: This research employed a pre-experimental design using a one-group pretest-posttest approach. The sample consisted of 45 students from grades III, IV, and V, selected through total sampling. The research instrument was a multiple-choice questionnaire developed based on the Balanced Nutrition Guidelines from the Indonesian Ministry of Health. The study procedure included a pretest, an educational intervention using leaflets, and a posttest. Results: The results showed that before the intervention, the majority of students had moderate (51.1%) and low (31.1%) levels of knowledge. Following the intervention, there was a significant increase in the high knowledge category to 73.4%, while the low category decreased to 2.2%. The average knowledge score improved from 11.3 to 16.6. The paired sample t-test indicated a statistically significant difference (p = 0.000; p < 0.05), confirming the effectiveness of the leaflet in enhancing students’ nutritional knowledge. Conclusion: Leaflets are an efficient, easy-to-understand, and engaging educational medium for elementary school children. These findings have positive implications for school-based nutrition education programs, especially in regions with limited access to information.]]>
