The Food Intake Pattern in Relation to the Nutritional Status of School Age 6–12-Year-Old in Muhammadiyah Orphanage

Introduction: School-age children have a very high
risk of experiencing a nutritional problem during their
development, consisting of an imbalance between
their body mass index and the state of malnutrition
due to their nutritional intake. The parenting at
Muhammadiyah Orphanage is related to the nutritional
status of the children managed in the group. This
parenting status causes less attention to be paid to
the children’s nutrition. This study aims to identify the
food intake pattern in relation to the food delivery and
nutritional status of school-aged children (6-12 years)
in the Muhammadiyah Orphanage house setting.
Methods: The research design was descriptive and
used random cluster sampling. The variable of this
study was food intake patterns. The data was collected
using demographic statistics and a validated CFQ
Questionnaire, after which the data was then analyzed
through frequency distribution to get the relevant
percentage. Ethical clearance was required in this
study.
Result: A total of 121 children aged 6-12 years old at
Muhammadiyah Orphanage were recruited. The results
show that most children were male (51.2 %) with an
age range of 5-7 years old (38.8%). The food intake
patterns of the sample were inappropriate (78.5 %).
Conclusion: This study concludes that there was a high
prevalence of inadequate nutritional status among the
sampled school-age children. The caregivers, as they
are supported by the government and stakeholders,
should consider the children’s nutritional intake.
This result also suggests that the scope of this study
looking into the early detection of nutritional status
among school-age children still needs to be improved
in relation to various elements.
Keywords: Food intake patterns, nutritional status,
orphanage, school-age children