Healthy Meals Research Articles

The lifestyle factors of medical doctors in academic hospitals, Bloemfontein, Free State.

Lifestyle factors of medical doctors are essential to their health and well-being. Previous studies omitted factors that constituted a healthy lifestyle and did not differentiate between various medical specialties or level of seniority which may expose doctors to different stress levels, workload and responsibility. The study assessed the lifestyle factors of medical doctors and compared them between departments, levels of seniority, years of experience and gender according to globally recognised health standards. This descriptive cross-sectional study collected data using a questionnaire created by the researchers based on healthy lifestyle factors and was administered online. Access was given to all doctors from four large departments, employed at two academic hospitals in Bloemfontein, Free State who agreed to participate in the study. Consultants from paediatrics, with 6+ years in medical practice, had the healthiest lifestyles. Registrars and interns from surgical disciplines such as obstetrics and gynaecology and surgery, with 1-5 years of medical practice, showed unhealthy lifestyles with inadequate sleep and exercise. The challenge remains how medical doctors can live a healthy lifestyle while managing a demanding schedule. This may impact on the management of their patients and the doctors' overall health and well-being. We recommend improving the working conditions by providing healthy meals on-site at hospitals with adequate breaks, reducing the heavy workload and providing exercise facilities.Contribution:The findings from this article may help improve the lifestyles of the identified groups of at-risk doctors and assist them in seeking ways to improve upon this.

UnDErstanding consumer food choices & promotion of healthy and sustainable Mediterranean diet and LIfestyle in Children and adolescents through behavIOUral change actionS: the DELICIOUS project

Abstract Over the last decades, the abandonment of traditional dietary patterns and engagement in unhealthy lifestyles (including poor physical activity, prolonged screen time, poor sleep behaviours) in children and adolescents has been considered an important threat for the future health of the younger generations living in the Mediterranean area and the safeguard of the environment. The DELICIOUS project aims to promote healthy lifestyles among children and adolescents by implementing activities and tools to increase the adherence to the Mediterranean diet with an attention to the environmental impacts of dietary habits. The DELICIOUS project as a single-arm, uncontrolled behavioral intervention program providing formal and non-formal education activities, development of new snacks and recipe reformulation, web/mobile app development, and physical activities to school children and adolescents in five European countries. Over 2000 families joined a preliminary survey to investigate potential determinants of adherence to a healthy diet. Children and adolescents recruited from schools in the parterns’ countries are now currently being recruited to participate to the intervention activities. A web application for school canteen and a mobile application for parents have been developed to help both schools and families to track and provide healthy and sustainable meals. The project aims to increase awareness of the nutritional benefits and the sustainability aspects of the Mediterranean Diet and to promote consumers’ empowerment through an online platform for sustainable and healthy meal planning in the school canteen.

Avoiding hedonic contrast to increase acceptance of healthy sustainable school meals

Abstract To promote sustainable eating in schools, new approaches for embracing plant-based (PB) meals are needed. Hedonic contrast (HC) describes how liking for one item is influenced by the recent experience of other items of different hedonic valence. Despite its established impact on liking, HC’s effect on intake, particularly in repeated exposure experiments, is limited. Moreover, its effect on food-related emotions remains largely unexplored. Hence, this study investigated how HC influences liking, emotions and intake of an innovative co-created PB dish, served as part of a course meal, at school in a repeated exposure study. Two groups of students (N (HC) =71, mean age=14.5 and N (control) =57, mean age=15.3) were served the same neutrally liked main PB dish (pumpkin stuffed lentils balls (LPA)) after a starter dish (rice with vegetables) which was altered in taste through seasoning and cooking methods to be more (HC) or less (control) tasty. The exposure was repeated once/week for 5 consecutive weeks. Liking and emotional responses for the dishes were recorded through a questionnaire and food consumption by weighting plate waste. HC led to lower liking (p = 0.037) and lower positive emotions (cheerful, pleasure) with high arousal (surprise) for LPA, while increasing negative valence emotions (disappointed). Moreover, LPA consumption was significantly lower in the HC group vs the control (45% vs 60% respectively, p = 0.040), resulting in lower protein intake in the HC group (p = 0.029). The effects of HC remained stable with time. This study, for the first time, reveals a sustained rise in food-related positive high arousal emotions, when foods are presented following less liked food. Since new foods evoking positive valence and high arousal emotions have higher chances to be appreciated than foods evoking positive valence and low arousal emotions, this work opens new perspectives on how to propose new, healthier and more sustainable PB dishes in school canteens. Key messages • Avoiding negative contrast between school meals is a promising strategy to ensure higher liking, intake and increased positive emotions over repeated exposure for innovative plant-based dishes. • To enhance adolescent’s acceptance and uptake of new plant-based dishes in school canteens, it is better to serve them after less tasty options.

Healthy lifestyle promotion project among healthcare workers

Abstract Background The psychosocial risks generated from difficult work conditions are damaging not only for the workers’ health and safety, but also have a huge impact on the organization and management efficiency. Description Some of the primary challenges that health workers face are demanding schedules and stressful shift patterns which lead to higher levels of worker burnout. Ensuring the well-being of healthcare staff is crucial not only for the individual workers, but it also brings important lessons to the community creating an environment built on a culture of health. Results In the past year, the Hospital of Cittadella (Province of Padua) has launched a set of programmes structured to help the staff make better lifestyle choices that affect not only their personal life but also create a more sustainable work environment. One of the projects involved various meetings with a Physical Medicine-Rehabilitation physician, a physical therapist, an Occupational Medicine physician and a medical yoga teacher. The encounters, attended by nearly 10% of the hospital staff, were aimed to help healthcare workers create a more balanced lifestyle and to implement physical activity and posture exercises in their daily routine. Four nutrition classes were also organized with the help of a nutritional biologist. The aim of this course was to show the basics of healthy diets supported by scientific data and guide the participants towards realistic and healthy meal plans. Lessons In conclusion, increasing the general wellbeing within the healthcare context is not an easy task, especially when organizational circumstances like staff reduction are being faced. These projects represent a small step towards facing these difficulties. It is important to note that the motivation, collaboration, inclusivity, flexibility and reliance are all elements that contribute to better mental and physical health of the healthcare staff which is crucial on an individual, organizational and societal level. Key messages • Increasing personal well being amongst healthcare workers can help create a more sustainable work environment. • A healthy work environment is crucial for a better functioning organization.

EXPRESS: Groceries or School Cafeterias: How Households Respond to School Nutrition Mandates

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act (HHFKA) placed strict nutritional mandates on meals served at U.S. public schools. This policy offers a unique opportunity to study household response to a large, exogenous change in healthiness of food available to their children. Did more healthy school meals lead households to substitute towards them, and away from grocery food purchases? Which households were more responsive to the nutritional mandates? And was there any spillover effect on the nutritional quality of their grocery food purchases? We document a meaningful decrease in the quantity of grocery food in response to the HHFKA, and a small decrease in quality. Consistent with substitution towards school meals, more of the quantity decrease is attributable to items likely to be purchased for children and categories traditionally associated with breakfast and lunch (the meals served at school). The HHFKA attracted even greater participation from financially and time constrained households for whom school meals were already important and were now coupled with the additional benefit of healthier food. These findings have important implications for policy makers and researchers, but also for food manufacturers and retailers.

Factors Influencing Meal Provision and Dietary Support Behaviour of Caregivers of People with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Caregivers play an important role in supporting care recipients to navigate their health needs, including adherence to dietary recommendations, which are complex and multifaceted. This study aims to (i) describe the nutrition knowledge of caregivers of people with chronic kidney disease (CKD), and (ii) explore caregivers' perceptions of their role in providing healthy meals and nutrition support for care recipients. A cross-sectional study design employed a multi-strategy research approach. Caregivers (n = 78) of people with stage 1-5 CKD or post-transplant were recruited from a single centre. Their nutrition knowledge was assessed quantitatively with the revised General Nutrition Knowledge questionnaire. Theory-informed semi-structured interviews of a sub-sample (n = 12) qualitatively explored caregiver perceptions. Most caregivers were female (75.6%) and cared for a male care recipient (87%; aged 74 (66; 80) yrs.). The caregivers (75.6%) provided a meal ≥6 times/week to their care recipient and had moderate nutrition knowledge (66.1 (60.5; 73.9)%). Four themes emerged describing the caregivers' perceptions of meal provision and nutrition support, including the following: (i) food literacy skills are valued; (ii) social support is important; (iii) caregivers' sense of social responsibility; and (iv) the management of complex and multifaceted dietary needs. The caregivers had moderate nutrition knowledge; they wanted to provide healthy meals and support to their care recipients to adhere to dietary recommendations. Targeted, co-designed nutrition education programs for caregivers may enhance nutrition care delivery to people with CKD.

Barriers and facilitators to healthy eating during post-partum among non-Hispanic Black mothers.

Maternal diet is a key predictor of child diet, yet an in-depth inquiry into the barriers and facilitators for the adoption of healthy eating behaviours during the post-partum period is lacking, specifically for non-Hispanic Black mothers. This study used qualitative research methods to investigate healthy eating practices among a sample of non-Hispanic Black mothers participating in a family-based obesity prevention intervention. In-depth interviews were conducted with 22 mothers who participated in the Mothers and Others: Family-based Obesity Prevention for Infants and Toddlers intervention trial. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. A deductive and inductive process was used to develop a consensus codebook; once the data were coded, matrices were developed to explore the data and identify similarities and differences between respondents. Relevant themes were identified, and salient quotes were used to illustrate each theme. Mothers believed that time and taste were significant barriers to eating healthy. Social influence and social support had both positive and negative influences on mothers' ability to adopt healthy eating behaviours. Despite their children often being a facilitator to healthy eating, many mothers struggled with finding the time, energy and desire to focus on themselves when it came to healthy eating. Many mothers were intent on preparing healthy meals and snacks for their children but did not prepare them for themselves. Future interventions should focus on the importance of role-modelling healthy eating behaviours for their children and include behaviour change strategies that incorporate skill-building activities emphasizing time-saving methods for planning and preparing healthy meals and snacks for the whole family to eat.

EDUKASI PENINGKATAN GIZI ANAK DALAM UPAYA CEGAH STUNTING DI GUNUNG GEULIS

The community service program on child nutrition education aimed at preventing stunting in Desa Gunung Geulis sought to address the high prevalence of stunting due to nutritional issues. Initial situation analysis revealed that 40% of children in the village experienced stunting, with 70% of parents having limited knowledge about balanced nutrition. Based on these findings, comprehensive and easily understandable educational materials and training modules were developed, covering essential information on balanced nutrition, types of nutritious foods, and methods for preparing and presenting healthy meals using local ingredients. The outreach and training were conducted at three strategic locations and attended by 150 parents and caregivers, employing interactive and practical methods. Follow-up support and monitoring over three months showed that 80% of the families improved their children’s nutritional intake. The final evaluation indicated a significant increase in parental knowledge about nutrition from 30% to 85% and a reduction in stunting prevalence from 10% to 8% within six months. These results demonstrate that a structured, community-based educational approach effectively enhances nutritional knowledge and reduces stunting, significantly impacting child well-being in Desa Gunung Geulis.

Mechanism governing textural changes of low-moisture tofu induced by NaCl addition in soymilk

This study aimed to investigate the impact of NaCl (0 – 1 g/100 mL) on the textural properties of calcium-coagulated low-moisture tofu (LM-tofu) and explore the underlying mechanism governing the NaCl-induced changes of relevant properties. Increasing the NaCl level in soymilk led to higher yield (134.2 – 192.2 g/100 g soybean) of LM-tofu with higher water content (69.2 – 76.7%), reduced protein (11.3 – 16.3%) and lipid (6.87 – 9.22%) levels, and enhanced water binding capacity (WBC, 4.26 – 6.78 g H2O/g protein) and water holding capacity (WHC, 3.63 – 5.49 g H2O/g protein) of soy proteins. Although NaCl had a minor effect on the interactions between proteins and mobilized water or tightly bound water, it significantly improved the proteins' ability to bind loosely bound water due to electrostatic interactions between the charged groups of proteins and hydrated Cl- and Na+ ions. Moreover, the amounts of loosely bound water were highly correlated with both WBC and WHC of proteins (correlation coefficient: 0.999 and 0.995, respectively). The enhanced water binding capacity of proteins for loosely bound water due to an increased salt level resulted in LM-tofu with a less dense protein network structure, weaker strength and reduced deformation ability. This study provides insights for the development of high-calcium, soy protein-based foods to meet the growing demands for healthy and convenient plant-based snacks or meals.

Child and Adult Care Food Program: Family Childcare Home Providers’ Perceptions of Impacts of Increased Meal and Snack Reimbursement Rates during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Introduction: The U.S. Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) provides tiered reimbursements for healthy foods for children at participating family childcare homes (FCCH). Higher tier 1 reimbursements are for providers who operate in low-income communities or who are themselves living on a low income. All FCCHs received a higher rate to address food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A survey was administered in the spring of 2023 to a randomly selected sample of licensed California FCCHs to assess the perceived impacts of the increased reimbursement on CACFP participation and anticipated challenges with reinstated tiered rates. A total of 518 surveys (261 tier 1, 257 tier 2) were analyzed using linear or logistic regression, adjusting for confounders. Results: Among tier 1 and tier 2 providers combined, over half reported lowering out-of-pocket spending for food (59%) and serving greater variety (55%) and quality (54%) of foods. Tier 2 providers reported experiencing more benefits (p < 0.05) and tended to be more likely to implement optional CACFP best practices (although not significantly different between tiers). Most FCCH providers found reimbursement rates were inadequate before (83%) the pandemic; this amount decreased to 54% post-pandemic for tier 1 and tier 2 providers combined. Conclusions: The temporary CACFP reimbursement positively impacted the perceived quality and variety of foods served to children, especially among tier 2 providers. Increased reimbursements for all FCCHs may ensure children have access to the healthy meals and snacks provided by the CACFP.

The Results of the "My Challenge" Camp in Addressing Childhood Obesity.

This article presents the development, implementation and results of the project "An interdisciplinary approach to the treatment of overweight children" under the name "My Challenge" camp. It is a 2-week multidisciplinary programme involving a physician, a dietitian, a psychologist, an occupational therapist or physiotherapist and a kinesiologist. The children stay in camp for 2 weeks and are actively involved in the daily preparation of healthy meals, participate in cooking workshops and interactive nutrition lessons, and are active outdoors throughout the programme. The study included 117 overweight or obese children, aged 7-18 years, 66 girls and 51 boys from ten camps between 2017 and 2023. Completed dietary questionnaires and anthropometric measurements were compared at baseline, after 2 weeks, and after 1 month. Changes in children's diets include an increase in meal frequency, in higher vegetables, fish, and seafood consumption, lower consumption of fried food and reduced consumption of sugary drinks. Boys more frequently consume fried food than girls and less frequently consume milk and dairy products. After one month, there was a decrease in body fat percentage, waist circumference and waist-to-height ratio in both genders. The "My Challenge" camp demonstrates promising outcomes in combating childhood obesity. Through a two-week multidisciplinary programme, significant improvements in dietary habits and anthropometric measures were observed. The findings underscore the importance of preventive education programmes for children in addressing the long-term health consequences of obesity. Further research and continued implementation of such initiatives are warranted to effectively tackle this public health issue.

The Price of Foods, Beverages, and Diets in Australia: An Updated Systematic Review

Abstract Context The price and affordability of food are priorities for public health and health equity; however, Australia lacks a consistent method to evaluate healthy versus unhealthy diets, creating a gap in routine food price reporting. Objective This review aimed to identify and summarize recent methods used to assess and monitor the price and/or affordability of food and beverages in Australia using a health lens. Data Sources Four academic databases (MEDLINE Complete, Global Health, CINAHL Complete, and Business Source Complete) were searched in English from 2016 to 2022. Relevant gray literature was searched through Google Scholar and government websites. Data Extraction Five reviewers screened titles and abstracts, and full-text screening was conducted by 1 reviewer, with eligibility confirmed by a second reviewer. The quality of studies was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute “Checklist for Analytical Cross-Sectional Studies.” Data Analysis Twenty-five eligible studies were identified. Eleven studies used a version of the Healthy Diets Australian Standardized Affordability and Pricing protocol to collect prices for a “healthy” diet modelled on dietary guidelines and an “unhealthy” diet based on a habitual Australian diet. These studies consistently found unhealthy diets to be more expensive than healthy diets. Other identified methods included assessing the price of household diets across healthy baskets (n = 6), store types (n = 5), a planetary health diet (n = 1), packaged foods according to their Health Star Rating (n = 1), a fruit and vegetable basket (n = 1), school canteen foods against a traffic light system (n = 1), and weekly healthy meal plans (n = 1). Healthy diets tended to be less costly than less healthy diets, but both diets were often unaffordable in regional areas, for people on low incomes, and for First Nations peoples. Conclusion Consistent country-wide application of methods for monitoring the price and affordability of foods and diets in Australia is needed—including tailored approaches for priority groups. Systematic Review Registration PROSPERO registration no. CRD42022333531.

School feeding for improving child nutrition in conflict-affected settings: Feasibility and cost efficiency of alternative models in Yemen.

School feeding programs can support children's nutrition, health, and education in emergencies. This study assessed the feasibility, trade-offs, cost efficiency, and perceived benefits of school feeding modalities operating in urban Yemen. It draws on primary data from a qualitative evaluation with 21 school feeding implementers and 88 beneficiaries conducted in Feb-Mar 2023, and secondary data from a desk review of published and program literature on school feeding operations. Results showed that school feeding provided students with on average 18%, 40%, and 66% of daily energy, protein, and micronutrient requirements, respectively. Models including fortified snacks were 3-11 times more cost-efficient in terms of nutrient delivery. The most prominent strength of the models examined were the perceived benefits on child, family, and financial outcomes. Among the main weaknesses was the poor nutritional quality of the meal, which in turn emerged as a primary opportunity to improve school feeding through hybrid models providing a combination of fortified snacks and healthy meals. Other weaknesses such as poor water, sanitation, and hygiene infrastructure, and desired improvements such as the school kitchen and canteen, require considerable investments. Hybrid models are cost-efficient, acceptable, and feasible in Yemen and can serve the diet and nutrition needs of school-aged children.

Description of Elementary School Children in Choosing Snacks at School

School is one of the places where children are active with their peers. Peers and the diversity of education at school are factors that influence children's habits in choosing education in school. Nutritional food can play both a positive and a negative role. Children can identify a variety of foods through the intestine so that they can form an appetite, but when the intestine contains intestines, it can cause disease. The study aims to figure out how school-age children choose to attend school. This research uses cross-sectional methods with a quantitative-descriptive approach. The research instrument used was a modified Safriana consumption questionnaire. stratified random sampling technique, with 270 respondents from class I to class VI. The results showed that boys were more likely to choose unhealthy choices than girls. Class I students were the most likely to make unsafe choices, while class VI students were the most likely to make healthy choices. Most kids choose important foods that are delicious and cheap, and the most popular kind of food is one-piece. It is suggested that the school should have a school canteen that provides healthy food and provides health education to children about the importance of choosing healthy meals.

Boosting Healthiness Exposure in Category-Constrained Meal Recommendation Using Nutritional Standards

Food computing, a newly emerging topic, is closely linked to human life through computational methodologies. Meal recommendation, a food-related study about human health, aims to provide users a meal with courses constrained from specific categories (e.g., appetizers, main dishes) that can be enjoyed as a service. Historical interaction data, important user information, is often used by existing models to learn user preferences. However, if a user’s preferences favor less healthy meals, the model will follow that preference and make similar recommendations, potentially negatively impacting the user’s long-term health. This emphasizes the necessity for health-oriented and responsible meal recommendation systems. In this article, we propose a healthiness-aware and category-wise meal recommendation model called CateRec, which boosts healthiness exposure by using nutritional standards as knowledge to guide the model training. Two fundamental questions are raised and answered: (1) How can the healthiness of meals be evaluated? Two well-known nutritional standards from the World Health Organization and the United Kingdom Food Standards Agency are used to calculate the healthiness score of the meal. (2) How can the model training be guided in a health-oriented manner? We construct category-wise personalization partial rankings and category-wise healthiness partial rankings, and theoretically analyze that they meet the necessary properties and assumptions required to be trained by the maximum posterior estimator under Bayesian probability. The data analysis confirms the existence of user preferences leaning towards less healthy meals in two public datasets. A comprehensive experiment demonstrates that our CateRec effectively boosts healthiness exposure in terms of mean healthiness score and ranking exposure while being comparable to the state-of-the-art model in terms of recommendation accuracy.

Physical Activity and Lifestyle of Female Students of the Faculty of Health Sciences University of Applied Sciences in Tarnów (Poland)

Introduction: Physical activity is a natural need of every human being, brings significant health benefits, and adapts the body to exertion. Lifestyle is based on conscious choices that affect health. Health-promoting activities such as regular physical activity, healthy and wholesome meals, adequate recovery, and stress reduction in daily life minimize the risk of future behavior. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the Physical Activity (PA) and lifestyle of female students of the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) at the Tarnow University of Applied Sciences surveyed in February and March 2023. Among other things, the time, frequency, and places of physical activity were investigated, and did the physical activity and lifestyle of female students differ according to the field of study undertaken and between first- and fourth-year physiotherapy students? Methods: The survey was conducted among 167 female students of physiotherapy, physical education, nursing, and cosmetology at the FHS. Using a diagnostic survey, a questionnaire survey was conducted, the research tool was a survey questionnaire of our design, which included questions on physical activity, lifestyle, and sociodemographic data. Results: The results indicate that the female students led active and healthy lifestyles. The vast majority, more than 90%, of the female students surveyed were aware of how physical fitness and their health-promoting activities, as well as knowledge related to these issues, would be important in their future profession. Regarding the field of study and the physical activity undertaken, a statistically significant difference (p < 0.05) was shown, it was the female students from physical education who were the most active among all women. Conclusion: It can be concluded that the chosen field of study influences the declared health-promoting behavior of female students and that the physical activity undertaken and the healthy lifestyle are related to the choice of future profession, while the field of study and the year of the study did not differentiate the lifestyle of female students.

Rising socioeconomic disparities in childhood overweight and obesity in Belgium

BackgroundChildhood overweight, especially obesity, significantly impacts children’s health and poses an increased risk of adult-onset diseases. This study aims to analyse the evolution of childhood overweight and obesity in Belgium from 1997 to 2018 and assess its variation across parental socioeconomic status (SES).MethodsThe Health Interview Survey, a cross-sectional survey representative of the Belgian population, has been conducted since 1997, with the latest survey conducted in 2018. This study focuses on children aged 2–17 years. Body Mass Index (BMI, kg/m²) was derived from self-reported data, supplemented with proxy reports for children under 15 years old. Overweight and obesity were classified using age/sex-specific cut-off points. Highest parental educational level served as the indicator of SES. In addition to reporting the overall prevalence and the 95% confidence interval (95%CI) of childhood overweight and obesity by year, this study examines the absolute difference in prevalence between SES groups (low minus high) and calculates the Odds Ratio (OR, adjusted for age and sex) to evaluate the relative difference.ResultsThe overall prevalence of childhood overweight rose from 13.6% (95%CI = 11.2-16.1%) in 1997 to 18.9% (95%CI = 16.3-21.5%) in 2018; while it remained stable for obesity, fluctuating between 5.4% and 6.3% over the same period. This increase was more pronounced among children with low SES compared to those with high SES. Consequently, the absolute difference between children with low and high SES increased over time from 8.0% points (pp) in 1997 to 14.9 pp in 2018 for overweight, and from 3.1 pp to 6.8 pp for obesity. In terms of relative inequalities, overall, children with low SES exhibited significantly higher odds of overweight and of obesity than those with high SES (OR varying between 2 à 3 for overweight and between 2 and 4 for obesity).ConclusionsThe escalating disparities over time highlight SES as a significant risk factor for childhood overweight and obesity. Addressing these inequalities requires interventions such as providing healthy meals and increasing sports opportunities at school. Additionally, it is recommended to regulate fast food outlets near schools and limit unhealthy food marketing, particularly because children with low SES are more exposed to such influences.

Using Nutrient Profile Models To Demonstrate the Nutrient Quality of Thai Side Dishes and Build Healthy Meals

Using Nutrient Profile Models To Demonstrate the Nutrient Quality of Thai Side Dishes and Build Healthy Meals

Smart Nutrition for a Golden Generation: Nutrition Education for Mothers of Toddlers

Optimal nutrition during early childhood is crucial in supporting the overall growth and development of children. This period is known as the golden age, during which brain and physical development occur very rapidly. Therefore, nutrition education for mothers of young children is a vital step in ensuring that future generations grow up to be healthy and intelligent individuals. Knowledge about the nutritional needs of young children, the proper way to provide complementary feeding (MP-ASI), and the prevention of malnutrition are the main focuses of this education. This article also presents various essential nutrients needed by young children and practical tips for mothers in providing MP-ASI. The Community Service Program (PKM) was held at the Nurtiana Ginting Clinic, Serdang Bedagai Regency, on May 4, 2024, involving 18 participants. The primary goal of this PKM is that with good nutrition education, it is hoped that mothers will become more skilled in providing healthy and balanced meals, thus supporting the creation of a healthy and intelligent golden generation. Adequate knowledge will help mothers make the right decisions regarding diet and food choices, ultimately supporting the creation of a healthy, intelligent, and highly competitive golden generation. Nutrition education also plays an important role in preventing various health problems that can arise from nutritional deficiencies or excesses, thereby significantly improving children's quality of life.

The Benefits and Challenges of Providing School Meals during the First Year of California's Universal School Meal Policy as Reported by School Foodservice Professionals.

States in the U.S. are newly implementing universal school meal (USM) policies, yet little is known about the facilitators of their success and the challenges they confront. This study evaluated the challenges and facilitators faced by school food authorities (SFAs) implementing California's universal school meal (USM) policy during its inaugural year (2022-2023) using an online survey. In March 2023, 430 SFAs reported many benefits, including increased meal participation (64.2% of SFAs) and revenues (65.7%), reduced meal debt (41.8%) and stigma (30.9%), and improved meal quality (44.3%) and staff salaries (36.9%). Reported challenges include product/ingredient availability (80.9%), staffing shortages (77.0%), vendor/distributor logistics issues (75.9%), and administrative burden (74.9%). Top facilitators included state funding (78.2%) and increased federal reimbursement (77.2%). SFAs with fewer students eligible for free or reduced-price meals (as opposed to SFAs with more) reported greater increases in meal participation and reductions in stigma but also more administrative burdens. Larger SFAs reported greater increases in revenues, staff salaries, and improvements in meal quality than smaller SFAs but also more challenges. Overall, California's USM policy has enhanced student access to healthy meals while mitigating social and financial barriers. Understanding California's experience can inform other jurisdictions considering or implementing similar policies.