THE EFFECT OF MORINGA LEAF ANCHOVY NOODLES ON NUTRITIONAL INTAKE AND INCREASE IN HEIGHT OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL STUDENTS

Introduction: Stunting is a problem of chronic malnutrition caused by a lack of nutritional intake over a long period due to providing food that is not for children's nutritional needs. Indonesia is the country with the third highest prevalence of stunting in Southeast Asia. Objective: This study aims to determine the effect of mitekor (moringa leaf anchovy noodles) on the intake and height increase of elementary school children. Method: This type of research is Quasi-Experimental with a Pre and Post Test Design. The population in this study were all 1st-grade stunting students at SDN 064026 and SDN 065015, Medan Tuntungan District. The intervention was giving Moringa leaf anchovy noodles for 30 days (100 g/day). Food intake data was collected by food recall and body height by taking anthropometric measurements. Data were analyzed using T-dependent, obtained p-value = 0.02 < 0.05. Results: Providing tekorr noodles showed an improvement in the level of nutritional intake and was proven to be significant in increasing the height of school children. The findings of this research provide a new understanding of the stunting prevention program by providing anchovy noodles with moringa leaves.
Keywords: Nutritional Intake, Noodles, Moringa Leaves, Anchovies, Height.