School-Based Nutrition Education to Improve Adolescents’ Knowledge of Balanced Nutrition

Abstract

Adolescent nutrition remains a critical public health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, where anemia, undernutrition, and obesity continue to coexist. Inadequate nutrition literacy is a key determinant of unhealthy dietary behaviors among adolescents. School-based nutrition education has been widely recognized as an effective strategy to improve knowledge and promote healthy eating habits. This community service program aimed to enhance adolescents’ knowledge of balanced nutrition. The intervention was conducted in January 2026 at SMAN 2 Kendari, involving a total of 46 students as participants. The intervention consisted of interactive nutrition education sessions, including lectures, discussions, and visual learning media. Data were collected using digital pretest and posttest questionnaires administered via Quizizz. Descriptive analysis was conducted to assess changes in knowledge levels before and after the intervention.  The findings demonstrated a substantial improvement in adolescents’ knowledge following the intervention, with the proportion of participants categorized as having good knowledge increasing from 30.43% to 78.26%.  In conclusion, school-based nutrition education is effective in enhancing adolescents’ knowledge of balanced nutrition and has the potential to serve as a scalable preventive strategy to address adolescent nutritional problems.