Balanced Nutrition Education Through Catfish Nugget Cooking and “Isi Piringku” Dissemination for Stunting Prevention

Abstract

Stunting is a chronic nutritional problem that affects children’s physical growth, cognitive development, and future productivity. Gunungjaya Village, Belik Subdistrict, Pemalang Regency, has local potential in catfish farming. This potential can be optimized as a source of animal protein for stunting prevention. This study aims to describe the implementation of balanced nutrition education through a catfish nugget cooking demonstration and the dissemination of the “Isi Piringku” pamphlet as a preventive effort against stunting. A qualitative descriptive method was employed, involving 20 participants consisting of posyandu cadres and mothers of toddlers, selected using purposive sampling. The activity was carried out at Posyandu Mawar 1 on August 7, 2025, through preparation, education, demonstration, and discussion stages. The results showed active participant engagement throughout the activity and positive responses toward the catfish nugget, which was considered savory, soft in texture, and preferred by children. The dissemination of the “Isi Piringku” pamphlet facilitated participants’ understanding of balanced nutrition concepts, while processing catfish into nuggets increased children’s acceptance of fish consumption. This activity has the potential to become a sustainable local resource-based nutrition intervention model and can be further developed to empower the community’s economy through catfish nugget processing and marketing.