Parental Nutrition Profile among Parents of Children Aged 5–6 Years: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.59638/ihyaulum.v4i2.1091Keywords:
parental nutrition, nutrition knowledge, feeding practices, preschool children, parentsAbstract
Parents play an important role in shaping children’s eating environments through their nutrition knowledge and feeding practices. However, these two components may not develop at the same level and need to be described separately. This study aimed to describe the nutrition knowledge and feeding practices profiles of parents of children aged 5–6 years. A quantitative descriptive study with a cross-sectional design was conducted among 200 parents of children aged 5–6 years in public kindergartens in Makassar, Indonesia. Respondents were selected using quota sampling. Data were collected using an expert-validated questionnaire consisting of 18 nutrition knowledge items and 25 feeding practice items. Descriptive analysis was performed using frequencies, percentages, and mean scores. The overall nutrition knowledge score was 50.25%, indicating a low profile. The percentages of correct responses across the four domains ranged from 48.13% to 51.00%. In contrast, the overall feeding practices mean score was 2.61, indicating a moderate profile, with domain means ranging from 2.58 to 2.64. Parental Modeling showed the highest mean score (2.64), whereas Healthy Eating Guidance showed the lowest (2.58). Parents showed a low nutrition knowledge profile but moderate feeding practices. The findings indicate the importance of assessing nutrition knowledge and feeding practices as distinct components of the parental nutrition profile and provide a basis for strengthening parent-focused nutrition education and practical feeding support.
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