Adolescents are a population group highly vulnerable to nutritional problems due to rapid physical growth, increased nutrient needs, and the formation of long-term eating habits. Understanding the quality of their diet is essential for preventing both nutrient deficiencies and diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs). This study aimed to assess adolescent diet quality using the Global Diet Quality Score (GDQS) and its Indonesian modification (GDQS-I) and examine their association with nutritional status. The GDQS was developed to meet the need for a concise, sensitive, and globally applicable metric capable of evaluating both undernutrition and the risk of NCDs. This cross-sectional study was conducted from August to September 2025 and included 61 eighth-grade students from SMPN 2 Ciomas, Bogor. Dietary intake was assessed using repeated 2×24-hour food recalls, and nutritional status was determined through anthropometric measurements using the BMI-for-age index. The results showed that most adolescents had a normal nutritional status (82%); however, their diet quality was generally poor, with 67.2% categorized as high-risk based on the GDQS and 95.1% based on the GDQS-I. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test indicated significantly lower GDQS-I scores than GDQS scores (p<0.001). The Spearman correlation test found no significant association between diet quality and nutritional status (p>0.05). In conclusion, these findings suggest that the GDQS-I may be useful for screening dietary risks among Indonesian adolescents, although further validation is required.
Malnutrition remains a major concern in Indonesia, with Aceh Province ranking among the top five provinces for stunting prevalence in 2022 (31.2%). Physalis angulata, known for its antioxidant and nutritional content, has not been extensively studied for its role in improving protein-energy malnutrition (PEM). This study aimed to assess the nutritional effects of a Physalis angulata fruit extract on PEM. A quantitative research method with a true experimental post-test only control group design was used on 25 Wistar strain aged 5-6 weeks with a weight of 100-150 g. PEM was induced through a low-protein diet for 56 days, followed by intervention with Physalis angulata extract at 250, 500, and 1000 mg/kgBW for 30 days. The study was performed at the Physiology Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine, Brawijaya University, from May 25 to October 1, 2024. The results showed no significant effect on body length (p = 0.087) but a significant increase in body weight (p = 0.000). In conclusion, the extract can improve weight gain in PEM, although it does not promote linear growth. Further research with varied doses, longer interventions, and time-series measurements is recommended
The prevalence of hypertension is increasing globally, including in Indonesia. Therefore, dietary patterns such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet are recommended to help control blood pressure. However, research on adherence to the DASH diet and its relationship with blood pressure in Indonesia is still limited, especially in long-term cohort studies. This study aimed to analyze the relationship between changes in dietary quality and blood pressure. This study design is a retrospective cohort study used secondary data from the Non-Communicable Disease Risk Factor Cohort Study (FRPTM) conducted in five urban villages in Bogor City from 2011 to 2018, involving 1,724 adult respondents. The analysis was performed using the chi-square test and multiple logistic regression analyses. The results showed no significant relationship between diet quality at baseline, follow-up, or changes in diet quality and the blood pressure. However, individuals with worsening diet quality had a 1.2-fold higher risk of developing hypertension (OR=1.237; 95%CI=0.886–1.727), while those with stable poor diet quality had a 1.3-fold higher risk (OR=1.285; 95%CI=0.905–1.824) than individuals with improved diet quality. In conclusion, these findings suggest that a decline in dietary quality may increase the risk of hypertension.
Multicultural hospitals face challenges in providing nutritional care that accommodates patients’ cultural beliefs and dietary practices. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of the transcultural nursing model in improving nutritional care and patient satisfaction in a multicultural hospital setting in Japan. A quasi-experimental pretest–posttest control group design was conducted at a Type B Regional General Hospital in Ambon, Maluku Province, Indonesia, from January to April 2025. A total of 120 adult inpatients were randomly assigned to an intervention group receiving culturally tailored nutritional nursing care based on Leininger’s Transcultural Nursing Model and a control group receiving standard nursing care. Data were collected using the Nutritional Care Satisfaction Scale (NCSS) and the Patient Satisfaction with Nursing Care Quality Questionnaire (PSNCQQ) and analyzed using parametric statistical tests with a significance level of p < 0.05. The intervention group demonstrated significantly greater improvements in nutritional care satisfaction and overall nursing care satisfaction than the control group (p < 0.01; Cohen’s d > 1.7). In conclusion, these findings indicate that the transcultural nursing model effectively enhances culturally sensitive nutritional care and patient satisfaction in multicultural hospital settings.
Anemia in children remains a major public health problem worldwide and in Indonesia, where national data report a prevalence of 21.7% among children aged ≥1 year. Iron deficiency is the leading cause, with iron depletion representing the earliest subclinical stagewhich is often difficult to detect using conventional parameters. Reticulocyte hemoglobin (Ret-He) has been proposed as a marker of functional iron availability during erythropoiesis. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic performance of Ret-He in identifying iron depletion in pediatric patients. A cross-sectional analytical study was conducted at Dr. Zainoel Abidin General Hospital in Banda Aceh between July and September 2024. A total of 87 pediatric patients aged 1 month to 18 years were initially enrolled; after excluding subjects with anemia to focus on the iron depletion stage, 54 children were included in the final analysis. Iron depletion was identified in 12.6% of the subjects. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis showed an optimal Ret-He cut-off value of 29.5 pg, with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.609, sensitivity of 70%, specificity of 63.6%, and a non-significant p-value (p = 0.398), indicating a limited diagnostic accuracy. Ret-He levels were significantly positively correlated with mean corpuscular volume (MCV) (r = 0.444; p = 0.001) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) (r = 0.511; p < 0.001), but were not significantly associated with hemoglobin, ferritin, or transferrin saturation. In conclusion, Ret-He cannot be used as a standalone diagnostic marker of iron depletion in pediatric patients. However, its association with erythrocyte indices suggests that Ret-He may serve as a complementary parameter when interpreted alongside conventional iron status markers during the early evaluation of iron-related disorders.
