Factors affecting parental awareness of the nutritional intake to their children’s growth

Abstract Nowadays, several reports from international bodies on nutritional requirements are alarming. Based on a report by the World Health Organization found that 17.7 percent of children and adolescents aged 5 to 19 years old in Malaysia have stunted growth. Besides, many parents are not aware of nutrition intake in providing food to their children. Therefore, this study aims to determine parental awareness of the nutritional intake to their children’s growth. The independent variables in this study are knowledge, attitude, practices, perceived behavior control, and subjective norm while the dependent variable is parent awareness of the nutrient intake of their children. Quantitative research forms were used, and questionnaires were adapted based on the KAP Model and the theory of planned behavior (TPB). Non-probability sampling was used using purposive sampling involving 150 parents who have children under five years old. SPSS version 21.0 was used to analyze the data using descriptive and spearman correlation analysis. Based on the results of this study found that all the variable has a high mean score. Moreover, research findings also showed that there was a significant relationship between attitudes, practices, and subjective norms with parental awareness of nutrient intake in children. Nevertheless, the relationship between knowledge and perceived behavioural control with parental awareness of nutrient intake demonstrates a negligible correlation. Hopefully, this study will raise the awareness of parents about the importance of providing a balanced and healthy diet for their children’s growth.