<![CDATA[Iron-deficiency anemia remains a common nutritional problem among adolescent girls, driven not only by inadequate iron intake but also by limited nutrition knowledge and negative body image that encourages restrictive eating. This study examined the effect of an educational snake-and-ladder game on knowledge, body image perception, and iron-source food consumption behavior among adolescent girls at SMP Negeri “X”, Banjar Regency, South Kalimantan. A quasi-experimental design with a two-group pretest-posttest control-group approach was applied to 24 eighth-grade female students, allocated equally into an intervention group receiving the educational snake-and-ladder game and a control group receiving lecture and poster media, selected through purposive sampling. Knowledge and body image perception were assessed using structured questionnaires, while iron-source food consumption was measured with a Semi-Quantitative Food Frequency Questionnaire; data were analyzed using the Wilcoxon and Mann-Whitney tests. Results showed significant improvement within the intervention group for knowledge (p = 0.014), body image perception (p = 0.025), and consumption behavior (p = 0.046), while the control group showed no significant change on any variable. The Mann-Whitney test, however, found no significant difference between the two groups, likely attributable to the small sample size. These findings suggest that the snake-and-ladder game is an engaging and effective nutrition-education medium for adolescents. Larger studies incorporating biological indicators such as hemoglobin levels are recommended to strengthen the evidence base for anemia-prevention programs in schools.]]>
