Knowledge of stunting and balanced diet among nursing students

Anita Apriliawati (Fakultas Ilmu Keperawatan, Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta)
Titin Sutini (Fakultas Ilmu Keperawatan, Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta)
Medya Aprilia Astuti (Fakultas Ilmu Keperawatan, Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta)
Dayana Noprida (Fakultas Kesehatan, Universitas Muhammadiyah Pringsewu, Lampung)
Ineke Kusuma Waluyo (Fakultas Ilmu Keperawatan, Universitas Muhammadiyah Jakarta)

Malahayati International Journal of Nursing and Health Science
Vol 6, No 8 (2024)

Background: Stunting is a chronic nutritional issue in children that remains a primary focus for the government to prevent and reduce its prevalence. Various efforts have been made in collaboration with various parties to improve the nutritional status of children aged 0-2 years, pregnant women, and before pregnancy (adolescent girls). The proper food composition for teenagers should adhere to the 'Fill my plate' principle with a composition of 1/3 staple food, 1/3 vegetables, 1/6 fruit, and the remaining 1/6 containing animal and vegetable protein. Good knowledge about balanced nutrition consumption in adolescent girls is essential to support the prevention of stunting in children in the future.Purpose: To identify the relationship between knowledge about stunting prevention and the consumption of balanced nutritious food in adolescent girls.Method: This research is an observational analytical quantitative study with a cross-sectional approach. The population in this study consisted of 95 female first-semester students at the Faculty of Nursing, Muhammadiyah University, Jakarta. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling with criteria being young female respondents aged 16-20 without chronic illnesses. The number of samples was 86. Data analysis used the chi-square statistical test to determine the relationship between knowledge about stunting prevention and the consumption of balanced nutritious food in young women.Results: The average age of respondents was 18 years, the average score for knowledge about stunting prevention was 26.6, the majority of teenagers had a very good knowledge category, with 65 people (75.5%), and the majority of teenagers consumed balanced nutrition, 48 people (55.8%). The results of the statistical test obtained a p-value of 0.26 (>0.05), which means there is no relationship between teenagers' knowledge about stunting and the consumption of balanced nutrition.Conclusion: It is hoped that healthcare professionals, especially nurses, can be involved and provide education and other interventions in preventing stunting by supporting young women to consume balanced nutrition.