Ministry of Health: 65% of School-Age Children Do Not Eat Breakfast
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13 June 2024 14:18 WIB
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Indonesian Ministry of Health (MoH) has highlighted findings that 65 percent of school-age children in Indonesia do not eat breakfast.
"Based on our data, 65 percent of school-age children do not have breakfast," said the Ministry's Director of Nutrition and Maternal and Child Health Lovely Daisy during an online talk show on the Healthy School Movement (GSS) in Jakarta on Thursday.
Daisy emphasized that this habit is not good, because 25 percent of daily energy must be met from breakfast.
"You go to school in the morning, don't eat breakfast, and then receive lessons at school. You can't imagine," she continued.
Daisy also highlighted the children’s habit of choosing to snack in the school canteen or at street vendors around the school during break time, instead of eating breakfast.
According to her, the majority of snacks available in the school environment, which are contemporary foods, are unable to meet the nutritional needs that should be obtained at breakfast.
"That's what causes micronutrient deficiencies in our society. So almost in the entire life cycle since toddlers … lack micronutrients," she said.
According to Daisy, the type of food that should be consumed by the community, especially children who are in a period of growth and development, has a balanced nutritional content that meets the needs of macro and micro nutrients.
She explained that macronutrients are carbohydrates, proteins, fats, and so on. While micronutrients are vitamins and minerals found in fruits and vegetables.
For this reason, Daisy asked parents throughout Indonesia to play a more active role in fulfilling children's nutrition in order to create healthy human resources for the future of the nation.
"Maybe many of our people do not understand how to prepare food for their children, so that the nutrients given to children meet their needs, because a person's nutritional needs will vary," said Lovely Daisy.
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