Interactive Multimedia Nutrition Education: Strategies To Strengthen The Free Nutritious Meal Program For Junior High School Students Based On Ngada Local Culture

Abstract

The low nutritional literacy and limited effectiveness of conventional methods are indicated by the prevalence of severely stunting (7.6%) and stunting (24.3%) among junior high school students in Ngada Regency. Consequently, the integration of interactive multimedia and local wisdom is deemed strategic in order to enhance the understanding and relevance of the material.  The objective of this research is to enhance the knowledge, attitudes, and healthy eating behaviors of students by developing and evaluating the feasibility, feasibility, and effectiveness of an interactive multimedia web application for nutrition education that is rooted in the local culture of Ngada.  Practicality was tested on teachers and students using ADDIE's development model, and feasibility was validated by media experts and subject matter experts. Effectiveness was assessed through a two-group quasi-experiment (pretest–posttest control group design) on 358 students, with the experimental group utilizing conventional learning applications and controls.  A gain score and a paired t-test were implemented in the analysis.  The results indicated that the practicality was "Very practical" (teachers 87.5%; pupils 90.4%) and that the validity was very high (media experts 90%; material experts 92%).  The experimental group demonstrated substantial improvements, with a knowledge score of +24.9 (t=12.56; p<0.01), an attitude score of +23.9 (t=11.73; p<0.01), and a behavior score of +25.8 (t=13.05; p<0.01). In contrast, the controls only experienced a slight and insignificant increase (knowledge +2.2; t=1.12; p>0.05; attitude +1.8; t=0.94; p>0.05; behavior +1.2; t=1.07; p>0.05).  It has been demonstrated that the incorporation of educational activities, assessments, cultural narratives, and local cuisine can enhance the relevance and engagement of learning.  It has been determined that this application is practical, effective, and feasible in its ability to enhance the nutritional behavior, attitudes, and knowledge of junior high school students.  The product is prepared for widespread adoption as a contextual nutrition learning model that supports national programs and the SDGs, with minor optimizations to visual consistency and media dimensions.