FK UMSU Holds School Nutrition Ambassador Training at Azzakiyah Islamic Leadership Elementary School
The Faculty of Medicine of Universitas Muhammadiyah Sumatra Utara (FK UMSU) held a Nutrition Ambassador training in carrying out Community Service with the theme ‘Calorie and Sugar-sweetened Beverages (SSB) Awareness as an Effort to Prevent Obesity and Non-Communicable Disease Early’ with students at SD Azzakiyah Islamic Leadership.
This activity is one of a series of implementations of the Community Partnership Program (PKM) Grant Program funded by UMSU, carried out August 9 – September 1, 2023. A FK UMSU Nutrition Science Department lecturer chaired them, Dr. Eka Febriyanti, M Nutrition, involving two lecturers, Dr. Huwainan Nisa Nasution, M.Kes, Sp.PD and Dr. Fardella Lufiana M.Biomed and 3 FK UMSU students.
According to Dr. Eka, this training was held because of the increasing cases of obesity in children and adolescents at significant risk, causing metabolic and non-metabolic diseases in adulthood.
“This training has several activities such as briefing nutrition ambassador material, project-based learning, focus group discussion (FGD) healthy canteen, and installation of nutrition facts or food labels on school snacks,” said Dr. Eka.
Also, as many as four materials were given to nutrition ambassadors, namely recognizing calories and food nutrients, reading food labels, recognizing obesity, and recognizing the dangers of SSB. Then the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) on healthy canteens also resulted in the conclusion of the importance of maintaining food that is halalan toyyiban, namely paying attention to nutrition and healthy and unhealthy snacks available.
Next, posters were put up about obesity, the dangers of SSB, and food labels in canteens and locations that students visit.
“Labeling of canteen food is carried out, especially listing calories, protein, fat and sugar in snacks so that all students can be wiser in snacks,” said the Head of Service.
At the end of this training, the FK UMSU service team appointed 20 people to become Nutrition Ambassadors. The goal is to become an agent of spreading nutrition information in the school environment and outside the school. Then, the team gave the school five copies of the Nutrition Ambassador training manual. The FK UMSU Service Team hopes that the guidebook can be a reference for regeneration and knowledge reference for all students.
