Effectiveness of Moringa Extract Liquid Supplement on Increasing Children's Appetite in the Cerdas and Insani Playgroup
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.64146/3483vp48Keywords:
Moringa oleifera, appetite, early childhood, child nutritionAbstract
The problem of low appetite in early childhood is still a nutritional challenge that has an impact on child growth and development. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of moringa leaf extract (Moringa oleifera) liquid supplementation on changes in children's eating behaviour, in terms of frequency of eating, number of servings consumed, and responses to food. This study used a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design, involving 30 children aged 2-5 years without a control group. Data were collected through structured observation and parent questionnaires, and analysed using a paired sample t-test. Results showed a significant increase in mean meal frequency from 2.47 ± 0.68 to 3.50 ± 0.51 times per day (p = 0.001) and meal portion from 52.33% ± 12.59 to 73.38% ± 12.59 (p = 0.001), in addition, children's responses to food changed from predominantly "refusing" to "hesitant" and "enthusiastic". These findings suggest that moringa leaf extract liquid supplement is effective in increasing early childhood appetite and has the potential to be a natural alternative in child nutrition interventions.
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