Analisis Pengetahuan dan Penggunaan Media Sosial tentang Keamanan Bahan Tambahan Pangan serta Keluhan Kesehatan Siswa SMA di Kecamatan Medan Barat

Abstract

Food additives are substances added to food to alter its taste or appearance. The use of food additives without following the regulations can compromise food safety, potentially causing health complaints among consumers. High school students often consume various foods and beverages without knowing the safety of the food additives contained within. High school students' use of social media is primarily focused on entertainment content such as food trends, rather than using it as a source of information about food additive safety. The results from interviews conducted with 35 high school students in Medan Barat District indicated health complaints such as diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, stomach pain, headaches, and sore throats after consuming trendy foods and beverages. This research is a descriptive study that describes the situation through a quantitative approach using purposive sampling techniques involving 96 high school students. Data was collected using a questionnaire covering aspects of student characteristics, knowledge, attitudes, social media use, and health complaints. The results showed that 76 high school students (79.2%) had good knowledge about food additives. The use of social media by 54 students (52.1%) as a source of food safety information is still considered good. The most common health complaint experienced by students after consuming trendy foods and beverages is stomach pain, affecting 31 students (32.3%). Therefore, preventive actions are needed through students to improve their habits of seeking information about food additive safety, and for schools to provide education and strengthen relevant subjects regarding food additives safety.