PENGETAHUAN, SIKAP, DAN PRAKTIK GIZI REMAJA PUTRI DI PEDESAAN BOGOR

Abstract

Anemia is one nutritional problems that need to be addressed in order to have healthy adolescent girls entering reproductive age. Efforts have been done so far focusing more on curative approaches hence it needed to study efforts with preventive ones. The study was aimed to assess nutritional knowledge, attitude and practice of rural young adolescent girls (YAG) for further development of nutrition education material related to anemia prevention. The study was conducted in three purposively selected junior high schools (JHS) in rural Bogor using cross-sectional study design involving 112 students. Data collected were student and family characteristics, height and body weight, and nutrition knowledge, attitude and practice. Data were collected using structured questionnaire. The students were asked to fill in the questionnaire after getting explanation from the researcher. Height and body weight were measured using microtoise and digital balance using standard procedures. There were 28 and 19 questions for nutrition knowledge and attitude respectively. Almost all of YAG had low score of nutrition knowledge and attitude. Energy and protein intakes were below 70% RDA for more than half (55%) of students or categorized as severe deficit and the prevalence of vitamin C and iron intake deficiency were above 80%. Students with adequate intake of energy and micronutrient was less than 20%. The curriculum content in science for grade 7 and 8 has content related to nutrition, i.e. variety of organism, digestion and blood system. There is a need to developed nutrition education materials which consist of: 1) the importance of healthy YAG, 2) the importance of breakfast, 3) anemia in YAG, and 4) food sources of iron, their enhancers and inhibitors.