Knowledge and attitudes toward balanced nutrition among children of Indonesian migrant workers at Pondok An-Nahdloh, Selangor, Malaysia

Nutrition body mass index Indonesia migrant workers

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The number of Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia is very high. However, access to education for Indonesian citizens' families is not yet spread evenly and appropriately. Hundreds of Indonesian migrant workers' children attended school at Sanggar Bimbingan (SB). However, various problems arise, including the lack of healthy living behavior and low-nutrition food consumption. Community service activities were carried out at Pondok An Nahdloh in Tanjung Sepat, Selangor, Malaysia, by a team of lecturers from the Department of Public Health, Universitas Negeri Malang. The core material presented includes 1) Introduction to Adolescent Nutrition, 2) Adolescent Nutrition Problems, and 3) Healthy Body Image, which is interesting through video presentations and modules. The students also underwent height and weight measurements to measure body mass index (BMI). The service activity involved 33 junior high school students aged 13-16 years, including 18 male students (55%) and 15 female students (45%). Body weight measurements showed that 61% of students weighed under 60 kg. Furthermore, the student's height is generally less than 160 cm. Calculating nutritional status based on BMI shows that 64% of students have an abnormal weight, either underweight or overweight. The average knowledge score before training was 6.8 and increased to 8.4 after training. Meanwhile, the average attitude value before training was 30.4 and increased to 31.2 after training. This score increase shows that the training program effectively increases students' knowledge and attitudes toward balanced nutrition.