Balanced Nutrition practiced with limitations during the COVID-19 pandemic: The experience of parents in Subang, West Java, Indonesia

Background and objectives: Food-Based Dietary Guideline (FBDG) is adopted worldwide. Messages that are found across many countries are to consume a variety of foods; consume fruits and vegetables, legumes, and animal-source foods; and limit sugar, fat, and salt. In Indonesia, the FBDG is translated into ten Balanced Nutrition messages, which was released by Ministry of Health in 2014. The purpose of the study is to assess the knowledge on these messages and practices among parents of preschoolers in Subang district, West Java province, before and during the COVID-19 pandemic (before March 2020 vs. October 2021) and to seek differences in the knowledge and practices of parents who attended nutrition training and those who did not attend any nutrition training. Methods: Google online survey platform was used to collect the data. Results: Most of the respondents were female (n=71) with age range between 21-49 years. About half of the parents were high school graduates. The top three Balanced Nutrition messages mostly selected by the parents were drink adequate and safe water (85%), consume variety of staple foods (75%), and eat plenty of vegetables and fruits (73%), while the least selected were enjoy variety of foods (42%) and reading food labels (35%). An increase was found in parents who drink adequate water and conduct physical exercise daily during the pandemic, as well as those who wash hands. A decrease was found in parents who consumed fruits, vegetables, and animal protein daily, with statistical difference for vegetables and animal protein. Majority (61%) of the parents perceived that their food quality was poorer during the pandemic and 37% experienced food shortage. Majority (72%) had decreased income, 51% decreased their food expenditure, and 60% (n=52) decreased smoking expenditure. About half (48%) of the parents participated in some kinds of nutrition training in the last four years. The trained parents mentioned more of the Balanced Nutrition Messages, with a gap up to six percentage points. Conclusions: Parents acquired knowledge on nutrition to some degree, but its application faced limitations during the pandemic. Dissemination of Balanced Nutrition can be done through pre-school teachers.