The Role of Parents and Teachers in Encouraging Healthy Eating Patterns in Early Children at RAM NU Delegtukang Wiradesa

Abstract

Early childhood children are unique in their curiosity about the world around them, including healthy eating patterns and understanding proper nutrition. The role of parents and teachers is very important in forming healthy eating habits in young children. The aim of this research is to identify the role of parents and teachers at RAM NU Delegtukang Wiradesa in forming healthy eating habits in children, evaluate the effectiveness of the methods used by parents, assess the contribution of teachers in promoting healthy eating patterns in schools, evaluate the response of parents and teachers to efforts to increase awareness of the importance of healthy food for children, as well as identify challenges and obstacles in encouraging children to adopt healthy eating patterns. The research method used is a qualitative approach with data collection techniques through participant observation, in-depth interviews with parents and teachers, as well as analysis of documentation related to healthy eating patterns. Observation results show that parents and teachers at RAM NU Delegtukang Wiradesa work together to provide healthy food, provide education about nutrition, and are actively involved in programs that support healthy eating patterns. However, there are still challenges such as the predominant availability of unhealthy foods, the influence of advertising for unhealthy foods, the mismatch between children's tastes for healthy foods, and changing ingrained eating habits. This, parents and teachers need to continue to work together and collaborate to promote awareness of the importance of healthy food for children, so that they can form good eating habits from an early age and support the overall healthy growth and development of children