The Effect of Feeding Patterns on the Nutritional Status of Elementary School Children During the COVID-19 Pandemic In Tuban Regency, East Java

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic, which was discovered in December 2019, impacts all aspects of life, such as health, economy, social, culture, education, and community welfare. Increased unemployment, which results in poverty during the pandemic, can affect children's welfare, such as feeding patterns and nutrition, health, environmental sanitation, and child protection. Before the pandemic, nutritional problems in school children were still relatively high in Indonesia, which is likely to worsen during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study aimed to determine the effect of feeding patterns on the nutritional status of elementary school children during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tuban Regency, East Java. Methods: The method used is observational analytic with a cross-sectional approach, which uses secondary data, namely reports of weight and height measurements before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, and uses primary data, namely the questionnaire instrument. The sampling technique used is Total Sampling. The statistical test of the study used the Wilcoxon Test and Linear Regression. Results: From the results of the Wilcoxon statistical test, it was found that p(sig) 0.996 in the trial of differences in feeding patterns before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Then the results were obtained from a linear regression test with p(sig) 0.000 to determine the effect of feeding patterns on the nutritional status of elementary school children during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: The study results showed no differences in the feeding patterns of elementary school children before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and the influence of feeding patterns on the nutritional status of elementary school children during the COVID-19 pandemic in Tuban Regency, East Java.