Improving Nutritional Awareness Through Food Label Reading Education among School-Age Children

Joan Herly Herwawan; Fandro Armando Tasijawa; Lea Mediatrix Y Janwarin; Hery Jotlely; Maria Nindatu

doi:10.54639/kks.v4i2.1710

Improving Nutritional Awareness Through Food Label Reading Education among School-Age Children

Joan Herly Herwawan, Fandro Armando Tasijawa, Lea Mediatrix Y Janwarin, Hery Jotlely, Maria Nindatu

Abstract

The nutritional status of school-age children is a crucial determinant of their health, growth, and academic performance. However, low nutrition literacy and frequent consumption of packaged foods high in sugar, salt, and fat pose significant challenges. This community service program aimed to improve students’ nutritional awareness through food label reading education at SD YPPK Waenibe (YPPK Waenibe Elementary School). The program employed health education sessions on balanced nutrition and interactive practice in reading food labels, including demonstrations of sugar and salt content. Evaluation was conducted using pre-test and post-test assessments among 19 students. Results showed a significant improvement in knowledge, with the mean score increasing from 68.37 (pre-test) to 80.11 (post-test). Most students shifted from the “fair” to the “good” knowledge category. These findings confirm that simple, practice-based educational interventions can effectively enhance nutrition literacy among school-age children. Moreover, the program has the potential to empower students as change agents in both school and family contexts. Nevertheless, this initiative was limited to a single intervention and lacked parental involvement. It is recommended that future programs be integrated into school curricula and involve parents to strengthen children’s healthy consumption behaviors.

Keywords

nutritional awareness; school-age children; food labels; nutrition literacy

References

Afroza, U., Abrar, A. K., Nowar, A., Sobhan, S. M. M., Ide, N., & Choudhury, S. R. (2024). Global overview of government-endorsed nutrition labeling policies of packaged foods: a document review. Frontiers in Public Health, 12. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpubh.2024.1426639

Bolte, J., Abalos, J., Johnson, J., Garcia, A., Joyce, A., Hinds, C., Patel, P., Nnali, E., Vargas, V., Stewart, A., Kakulavar, A., & Svec, J. (2025). Nutrition Able: A Novel Tool for Improving and Assessing Nutritional Literacy of Middle School Children. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.07.20.25331738

Herwawan, J. H., & Tasijawa, F. A. (2025). Gizi Pada Anak Usia Sekolah (Pertama). CV. Peduli Literasi.

Hidayanti, L., Rahfiludin, M. Z., Nugraheni, S. A., & Murwani, R. (2025). Association of malnutrition and main-meal- and snack-predominant intake among female adolescent students in boarding schools in Tasikmalaya, Indonesia. Nutrition and Health, 31(1), 235–246. https://doi.org/10.1177/02601060231166224

Kamarudin, S., Poh, B. K., Yahya, H. M., Nor, N. M., Sharif, R., & Talib, R. A. (2025). Food label literacy among Malaysian school adolescents: A prevalence study. PLOS One, 20(5), e0324142. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0324142

Kartika, P. C., Subiyantoro, S., & Daryanto, J. (2025). Analysis Challenge Packaging Label Education Food and Drink in Elementary School. Social, Humanities, and Educational Studies (SHES): Conference Series, 8(1), 513. https://doi.org/10.20961/shes.v8i1.98994

Liu, L., Ren, X., Li, W., Zhao, S., Guo, X., Yan, R., Guo, X., & Li, R. (2025). Nutritional literacy and health behaviors in primary school students in China: a cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health, 25(1), 2275. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23420-w

Mauludyani, A. V. R., Ali Khomsan, Riyadi, H., Nurhidayati, V. A., & Fatchiya, A. (2025). Determinants of children’s nutritional status in rural and urban areas of West Java, Indonesia. Nutrición Clínica y Dietética Hospitalaria, 45(2). https://doi.org/10.12873/452ali-khomsan

Moelyo, A. G., Pulungan, A. B., Sitaresmi, M. N., & Julia, M. (2025). The effect of early childhood stature on later cognitive functions in Indonesian adolescents: comparation using the National growth reference and the WHO growth standard. BMC Pediatrics, 25(1), 466. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12887-025-05829-9

Patil, P. D., Kulkarni, M. V., & Saoji, A. V. (2024). Awareness and perception of consumers regarding food labels on packaged foods with special emphasis on front of package labels. Journal of Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences, 13(3), 241–246. https://doi.org/10.4103/jdrysruhs.jdrysruhs_184_23

Rachmawati, Y., & Kartika, K. (2024). Edukasi Remaja Sadar Gizi di SMAIT Peradaban Al Izzah Kota Sorong. Jurnal Kreativitas Pengabdian Kepada Masyarakat (PKM), 7(3), 1101–1110. https://doi.org/10.33024/jkpm.v7i3.13180

Rai, F. H., Jalal, K., Hussain, Z., Fatima Rai, A., Maqsud, M., & Khan, M. (2023). Awareness About Nutrition Facts on Food Labels and Their Influence on Food Selection Among Consumers. Pakistan Journal of Health Sciences, 185–189. https://doi.org/10.54393/pjhs.v4i04.442

Rumjaun, A., & Narod, F. (2025). Social Learning Theory—Albert Bandura (pp. 65–82). https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-81351-1_5

UNICEF. (2019). Status Anak Dunia 2019. Https://Www.Unicef.Org/Indonesia/Id/Status- Anak-Dunia-2019

Wang, C.-Y., Hsu, C.-J., & Cai, D. (2022). Effects of food nutrition labels on the health awareness of school-age children. BMC Public Health, 22(1), 1249. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13613-y

DOI: https://doi.org/10.54639/kks.v4i2.1710