Peran Orang Tua dalam Memilih Makanan untuk Bekal Anak Sekolah (Studi Kasus: Paud Melati Desa Sidomulyo, Kecamatan Biru-Biru, Kab. Deli Serdang)

Abstract

Food is one of the most essential aspects for human growth, particularly in children. The high prevalence of stunting is largely caused by poor nutrition, where parents often neglect the quality of food consumed by their children and have limited understanding of the nutritional needs of early childhood. Anthropology is a discipline that studies humans in a comprehensive manner. From an anthropological perspective, humans are understood as individual, social, and spiritual beings. These three dimensions indicate that humans are cultural beings. Culture itself manifests in three forms: ideas, activities, and artifacts. In this research, the focus is on the activity dimension, specifically the activities of mothers in preparing food for their children. Such activities are understood as part of culture because they reflect everyday practices related to meeting basic needs and transmitting values within the family. This study aims to examine the role of parents in selecting food as school provisions for children at PAUD Melati, Desa Sidomulyo. It also explores how parental decisions are influenced by nutritional knowledge, children’s preferences, and cultural as well as social factors within the community. The research employs a qualitative approach with a case study method, where data were collected through observation, interviews, and documentation with parents and teachers at PAUD Melati. The findings indicate that most parents still tend to choose instant or packaged foods as school provisions, mainly considering practicality and children’s preferences. Parents’ nutritional knowledge remains limited, while food choices are strongly influenced by inherited habits and social pressures from children’s peer environments at school. The analysis draws upon Koentjaraningrat’s concept of the three forms of culture and Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of habitus to explain how ideas, activities, and cultural artifacts shape children’s food consumption patterns. This research concludes that parents play a crucial role in shaping children’s dietary patterns from an early age. Therefore, continuous intervention from educational institutions and nutrition education programs is needed to raise parental awareness of the importance of balanced nutrition in supporting children’s optimal growth and development.