Ketika Anak Sulit Makan: Hubungan Perilaku Makan Selektif dan Status Gizi Anak Prasekolah

Abstract

Background: Malnutrition is a common problem in children. If not addressed, it will impact the child's growth and development process. The cause of malnutrition is something that must be explored to find the root of the problem, one of the causes is selective eating behavior. Objective: The purpose of this study was to identify the relationship between selective eating behavior and nutritional status in preschool children. Method: The study used a cross-sectional approach. The study was conducted at PAUD in Tabukan sub-district. The population in this study was PAUD in Tabukan sub-district, consisting of 13 PAUDs with 409 students. The sample was parents/guardians of 137 respondents. The sample selection used Cluster Random Sampling, which was conducted by drawing lots at 13 PAUDs in Tabukan sub-district, resulting in 2 schools, namely PAUD Nusa Indah and PAUD Kuncup Mekar. Data collection used 2 research instruments, namely the Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire and anthropometric measurements. Result: The results of the analysis with (sperman rank) found that there was a relationship with a value of p=0.000 (p<0.05) with a Correlation Coefficient of 0.799 which means the direction of the relationship in this study is "strong", the probability results are 70.15% of children who fall into the non-selective category have the opportunity to fall into the good nutrition category and 27.14% of children who fall into the selective category have the opportunity to fall into the malnutrition category. Conclusion: There is a significant relationship between selective eating behavior and nutritional status in preschool children.