Jakarta, 7 May 2026
SEAMEO RECFON provided facilitation support to students and lecturers of the Master’s Program in Nutrition Science, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia (FKUI) in the implementation of a field learning activity for the Food and Nutrition Intervention course held on 7 May 2026 in Utan Kayu, Jakarta. The activity served as part of the students’ learning process in designing and implementing promotive and preventive nutrition interventions directly within the community.
The field activity marked the final stage of the Food and Nutrition Intervention course series, conducted from 4–11 May 2026. The course focused on identifying nutrition-related issues, analyzing community conditions, and developing nutrition education strategies tailored to the needs of the target groups. The field learning session on 7 May 2026 provided students with the opportunity to apply the intervention plans and educational materials they had previously developed.
A total of nine students, along and six lecturers from the Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia together with the SEAMEO RECFON, participated in this activity. The students implemented two educational programs, namely SAPA SEHAT, which targeted food vendors in the Utan Kayu area, and SENYUM PAUD, which designed for local early childhood education teachers.
During the SAPA SEHAT session, seven food vendors in Utan Kayu were introduced to the health impacts of excessive sugar, salt, and fat consumption. The students delivered the educational materials in a simple and accessible language to ensure that the message is well received by community members, covering topics ranging from the risk of hypertension due to excessive salt intake, as well as diabetes and obesity associated with high sugar consumption. The session was conducted interactively, encouraging active participation from the vendors, who also shared their daily experiences.
During the session, students also provided practical recommendations tailored to the types of food sold by each vendor were also provided. Fried food vendors were encouraged to increase the proportion of vegetables in their products while applying cooking techniques that help minimize oil absorption, beverage sellers were advised to offer different serving sizes and reduce the use of sweetened condensed milk, while other food vendors were reminded to limit the use of salt and flavor enhancers while incorporating more vegetables and protein sources into their menu offerings. This approach reflects SEAMEO RECFON’s commitment to promoting practical, community-based and applicable nutrition solutions.
The activity then continued with the SENYUM PAUD session involving teachers from three early childhood education centers in the Utan Kayu area, namely PAUD Waringin, Kenanga, and Mustika Indah. During this session, participants were introduced to the concept of the Balanced Nutrition Pyramid, ideal daily meal portions, and demonstrations of sugar, salt, and fat measurements using measuring spoons to help visualize healthy consumption limits . The students also conducted interactive educational game titled “Building My Plate” to enhance participants’ understanding of balanced nutrition.
Through this activity, the teachers were encouraged to identify balanced meal compositions and apply the principles of healthy eating in daily practices for young children.
Dr. Umi Fahmida, lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia and advisor to SEAMEO RECFON, expressed her hope that this field learning activity would provide meaningful benefits to the community while also serving valuable learning experience for the students. “We hope that early childhood education teachers can understand the importance of balanced nutrition and apply it not only for themselves, but also in their daily interactions with students in the classroom,” she stated.
The activity received positive responses from the participants. Ms. Mardiani from PAUD Kenanga shared that she gained many new insights from the session. “TThe materials were delivered in a clear and engaging way, making the nutrition knowledge was easy to understand. I also learned new ways to reduce oil usage when cooking, and I hope the knowledge about the Balanced Nutrition Pyramid can be shared with other teachers and parents,” she said.
Through this field learning activity, students gained hands-on experience in implementing promotive and preventive nutrition interventions within the community. The collaboration between the Department of Nutrition, Faculty of Medicine Universitas Indonesia and SEAMEO RECFON is also expected to strengthen students’ capacity through contextual, community-based, and practical learning experiences.
